Human
by Captain Turlow
Summary: After the events of RE5 Claire Redfield goes to Africa with TerraSave and gets more than she bargained for when they find a certain man everyone thought was dead. Eventual Claire/Wesker. Give the first chapter a try, please.
1. John Doe

**Okay so this is my first story for Resident Evil. This will be a Wesker/Claire story and it will be post Resident Evil 5. I mean Albert Wesker dead? Really Capcom? Anyways I don't own any of this obviously, but here's the first chapter. Enjoy. Also big thanks to Maurelle for offering to be my beta and helping me edit this chapter some more.**

Claire Redfield was surprised she actually enjoyed working for Terra Save. Sure, it generally involved cleaning up messes her brother had made with the BSAA, but, still, she liked being able to help people.

It was a good compromise because it meant she was able to still help people who were affected by bio-terrorism, but she was also for the most part out of trouble-which made her brother happy. He worried far too much about her, after all. Terra Save had set up camp just south of the major infection site, the BSAA having cleared out most of the area so they were most likely not in any immediate danger. That still didn't mean the occasional incident didn't happen of course; there had been a BOW that had done some damage on the north end of the camp, but the BSAA had taken care of it and were bringing down reinforcements in case something else were to happen.

She knew Chris wouldn't be part of the reinforcements as he and Jill were headed stateside for some well deserved time off. He had called her via satellite phone to check in a few weeks ago. Apparently his partner, a woman named Sheva, and her boyfriend Josh were most likely going to be heading over to the Terra Save camp.

"Claire, I need your help with something," called her friend Sarah, who was sticking her head out of the medical tent. In the BOW attack last week some of the members of the medical staff had been injured leaving them shorthanded, and people, like Claire, who usually just handed out food and water had to lend a hand sometimes.

"Put some pressure on that," said Sarah pointing to a cloth that was covered in blood and some kind of black oil like substance. She did as she was told and pushed down on the cloth in an attempt to stop the bleeding on the rather deep gash on the man's chest.

"What the hell is this black stuff?" asked Claire looking over at Sarah who was busy treating some burns on the man's arms. The burns looked rather serious and the moment she was removing dead skin from the scorched area.

"I have no fucking idea. All I know is some volcanologist found him by a volcano and that he's a John Doe, not that it really matters 'cause if I don't do something soon he's just gonna be dead."

"You'd better hope not-dead things don't always stay dead around me," Claire said with a bitter laugh.

"Maybe that's exactly why I called you over here; you're going to know what to do if the shit hits the fan."She said with a laugh. Sarah knew that Claire had been through a lot of zombie related incidents. Claire was just glad that she was comfortable enough with it now to joke about it.

Claire took a moment to look over at the face of John Doe and regretted it rather quickly. To Claire, John Doe was no John Doe, he had a name-and it was one she associated with just about everything that had ever gone wrong in her life. After all, Albert Wesker had haunted her and her brother for years. Chris had told her he was finally gone and, yet, here he was. Like a cockroach you just could not seem to make him stay dead. It was strange seeing him like this-beaten and bleeding.

"Claire!" Sarah said jarring her from her thoughts.

"What?" She said tearing her eyes away from the patient and looking over at Sarah.

"You looked like you were miles away and I need you paying attention," Sarah said before turning her attention to the wound Claire had just been working on. Wesker let out a pained yell as his body writhed in some kind of weird seizure.

"Shit, he's going into some kind of shock! Help me hold him down," said Sarah as Claire once again did as she was told. Once it subsided the two women let go. Sarah went to check his eyes showing one to Claire "And look at this, it happens after the seizure and then it goes back to normal in about a minute or two." To Claire, however, the red eyes were normal not the strange blue grey that appeared after a minute.

"I think I can handle it from here. This guy just might pull through yet. 'Cause I'm such a damn good doctor," her friend said with a confident smile that Claire would not share with her. Part of her almost wished Sarah would fail at her task. She, however, could not even begin to think of what to say to her friend about it.

Sarah looked at her with concern and said "Are you sure you're okay? You seem kinda out of it."

"Just have a lot on my mind," she said but what she was actually thinking was something along the lines of: _you're having me help the sociopath who has made my life a living hell and at any moment he could wake up and decided to kill us all_.

"Well, I'm all done here. I'm going to go and call HQ to give them our status. He's been slipping in and out of consciousness so, just hold his hand or something if he wakes up let him know he's gonna be okay." Sarah said before heading outside of the tent-leaving Claire alone with Wesker.

"Hell must be freezing over right now," Claire mumbled herself as she did what Sarah instructed. She had half a mind to just sit there willing him to die so that she would not have to deal with whatever happened when he woke up. Sarah had worked so hard to save him and she realized Sarah would think something was wrong if she didn't try and comfort him. Claire, after all, could not think of an easy way to tell her friend she had just labored away saving the life of their generation's Adolf Hitler.

Actually, Albert Wesker was probably worse than Hitler, Claire reasoned. After all, Hitler was a vegetarian painter so at least he had a side hobby besides fucking over the world-and, yet, she couldn't help almost feeling sorry for him in the state he was currently in.

The anger she had felt when she first laid eyes on him lying in the hospital tent had subsided for the most part because unlike the man laying in the bed she did not find joy in watching someone suffer; even if that someone was someone who had made her suffer.

He stirred slightly, and when he opened his eyes for a brief second she was expecting to see the usual angry red orbs-instead, she was met with sharp blue grey before they closed once again.

"Um…it's going to be okay," she said still holding his hand and looking at him with an almost look of concern. She was concerned that he might die only because she was worried he might mutant into something, and in the small space they were currently occupying she that would be very problematic. She noticed his brow furrowed slightly at her words before losing consciousness once again.

"Yes, I'm equally confused as to why I'm doing this," she said with a sigh to the unconscious man.

* * *

That night Claire couldn't sleep for the obvious reason: that her family's worst enemy was but five tents away from her slipping in and out of consciousness. She looked up at the green canvas that was the roof of her tent as though willing it to give her answers. She had thought about calling Chris, but she did not know all the details of what had happened in Africa. All she knew was that he and Jill had been through a lot recently. She had a feeling Sheva, his partner, might know what to do, but, until she arrived in a few days, Claire was stuck with the task of trying to figure out a course of action.

One thing was for certain: she wasn't going to let him escape. If anything she would find a way to keep him in the camp until the BSAA arrived. She finally managed to get about an hour of sleep before she was woken up by Sarah calling her back over to the med tent to help some of the other patients.

She was glad for the distraction and most of her morning was spent just focusing on the various tasks that Sarah gave her. By afternoon, however, she once again had to face Wesker.

"They're getting worse." said Sarah after the two women let go of the man who moments before had been hit with another violent seizure. "I'm beginning to think they might be some kind of withdrawal symptom of something. They found those nearby where they found him." Sarah said, nodding her head towards a metal tray. Claire looked over at the tray and noticed it had a few syringes with hypodermic needles. Some of them had a liquid substance in them and others were empty.

"I'd be careful with those-they look too medical for a run of the mill drug addict," said Claire not even wanting to contemplate what sort of sinister virus could be in those syringes.

"Yeah, it's weird, though, isn't it?" said Sarah who was also staring at the syringes. Claire, however, was more focused on the strange hissing noise she had begun to hear; she turned to face the source of the noise and noticed black snakelike tentacles crawling along Wesker's arms and torso. Claire realized they were coming from all of the wounds that Sarah had spent hours stitching up the day before.

"God damnit! That's Uroboros!" Sarah said. However, before she could react any further, a series of the tentacles swiftly knocked her to the ground. Claire, however, who was used to this sort of thing ducked so as not to meet a similar fate. She was starting to think she really should just carry weapons with her at all times. The tentacles that had shot out at her after missing their intended target grabbed at the syringes and other sharp utensils that were on the nearby table.

"Go get help!" She yelled to Sarah, who had been thrown closer to the entryway of the tent. She winced in pain as one of the sharp objects that had been grabbed by the mass of tentacles sliced into her arm. She quickly dodged the second attack as Sarah hobbled out of the tent leaving her alone to fight off the BOW. She desperately scanned the room for any kind of object she could use as a weapon and opted for the metal tray. She used it as a shield to fight off the attacks, and it seemed to be working alright until a rather hard blow knocked her to the ground. She felt a sharp pain in her leg noticing that a scalpel and one of the needles were sticking out of her leg. She quickly stood, readying herself for the next attack that did not come.

The Uroboros were flailing about the room wildly, and it was beginning to liquefy into the black oil like substance leaving behind Albert Wesker. You would almost have not been able to tell anything had just happened. His wounds were now completely healed and Claire thought he looked almost peaceful-just almost, however, because Claire felt she could never associate the word peaceful with Wesker. The room, nevertheless, was in shambles; items scattered all about the room and puddles of dead Uroboros were everywhere. Claire noticed both she and Wesker were covered in it.

As Claire pulled the sharp objects out of her leg, Sarah and Andrew, her boss, entered the tent.

"Oh my god you actually killed it?" said Sarah looking shocked.

"No, it just died or something. I don't know," Claire said looking around the room equally shocked.

"Are you sure it was Uroboros? He didn't even seem like he was showing any of the symptoms from what you told me," Andrew said looking wearily at the man lying in the medical tent. They had all been given very detailed packets from the BSAA about what people who were infected with Uroboros looked like and acted.

"That's probably because the bastard's not human," Claire said with disgust. She let out a sigh as her two colleagues gave her a look of confusion. "I should have probably said this earlier, sir, but that man is not a John Doe. His name is Albert Wesker, and he's been behind just about every viral outbreak since Raccoon City. My brother told me he was dead."

"Yes, you should have told me earlier, Redfield. I would have put guards in here so that a dangerous criminal does not escape before the BSAA arrives to handle it. We hardly have the man power to deal with this sort of thing," Andrew said looking very angry.

"With all due respect, sir, if he wants to leave, guards aren't going to stop him. At the moment the best we can do it hope he doesn't wake up and pray that the BSAA gets here soon." She said a weary tone to her voice.

"Raccoon, Harvardville and now this, I'm beginning to think these sort of viral catastrophes follow you, Redfield." Andrew said with smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I've been thinking that for years." Said Claire with a bitter laugh

"Well Sarah, get George and that woman Quinn from the BSAA to come in here and help you get this place cleaned up and tell them about him." He said nodding towards Wesker.

"What should I say?"

"For now, just that's he's dangerous, infected and he doesn't leave the tent. After Claire gets herself cleaned up she's going to tell me everything she knows about him, like she probably should have done in the first place." He said looking pointedly at Claire.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything differently if you had found out earlier," Claire said trying to justify her actions. Perhaps Andrew had been right, she should have gone to him but there was no changing the past.

"Redfield, what have I told you about talking back to your superiors?" Andrew said rolling his eyes.

"Not to?" Said Claire not really sure if the question was rhetorical. By the look on her boss' face, it was, and she quickly apologized and headed outside. She was immediately blinded by the bright light from the sun that was now high overhead. She shielded her eyes from the light. _Could it be possible the sun had actually gotten brighter since she had been outside last?_ She thought to herself as she headed over to the showers.

They had two showers both were basically out in the open but had a small amount of walling around them to at least gave you the illusion of privacy. The showers were also a bit of a luxury because, basically, they had enough water for emergencies only. Being covered in Uroboros goo, however, was such an emergency.

The shower had felt wonderful despite the fact she had to close her eyes practically the whole time because the sun was bothering her so much. She headed back to her tent wrapped in just a towel. She rummaged through her bag trying to find some new clothes, but she was starting to get what she imagined was the world's worst headache. She eventually just grabbed the first things that resembled the items of clothing she needed and the end result was jeans, which were way to warm to be wearing in Africa, and a red t-shirt. She walked outside and was once again nearly blinded by the sunlight. She put her hand over her eyes and walked as best she could over to Andrew's tent. However, she could not seem to find it and the splitting headache was so painful it was difficult to even think straight let alone function. She felt a burning sensation in her leg like the blood flowing through that area was on fire and she stumbled slightly the pain was so bad.

Everything seemed to be spinning and she felt the fire spreading throughout her body. She wasn't sure how it happened, but, suddenly, she was on the floor writhing in pain and then…she felt nothing as darkness consumed her…

**I realized a lot happened in that first chapter but I thought it would be better to just kind of jump right into it and then work from there. Tell me what you think, constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you liked the first chapter and want more!**


	2. Questions

**Thank you to all the awesome people who have reviewed as well as my beta for getting the chapter back to me so quickly. Anyways, here is the second chapter. Enjoy.**

If there was one thing Albert Wesker hated more than anything in the world it was when he did not have control of a situation. This was such a time. He had failed to kill Chris and his partner, and, although it would have been nice to accomplish this, having the BSAA think he was dead was a nice perk. What he had not anticipated, however, was how long it would take him to recover from dying again or that the viral concoction in his body would be so unstable.

There were times when Uroboros took control, and that was something that could simply not be tolerated. He was basically healed now, but he still felt weak which irritated the hell out of him-someone with his kind of power should never have to feel weak.

He was conscious now, but he laid perfectly still-eyes closed as he listened to what was happening around him.

"What do you mean she doesn't have a pulse?" exclaimed a woman's voice in a rather distressed tone. He recognized the voice as the doctor who had cared for him.

"I don't know I was on my way over here to help keep guard when I found her just lying on the ground and she wasn't breathing," said a man's voice.

"George! You dumb shit, she's fine," said the woman. He assumed she must have checked whoever had been unconscious and realized they were not dead as the man had thought.

"I'm telling you she wasn't…" said the man but Wesker could not hear the rest of what he was saying because the fog was taking over again and he was having trouble focusing.

When he was himself again the camp was completely destroyed. Smoke was rising from a large fire over on the north end of the site and mangled bodies lay everywhere. The smoke was disconcerting because it would draw attention-apparently he and Uroboros did not have the same idea of what being subtle was. Now the BSAA would definitely be investigating what had happened here.

He looked down at the blue and white striped cotton pajama bottoms that doctor had deemed fit for him to wear. He knew he would he would definitely need to find something more suitable. He kicked over one of the mangled bodies that had been face down in the dirt. He reached down and grabbed the bloody sunglasses off of the dead man's face; they were horribly scratched but would do for now.

He continued walking until he found someone with the same pant and shoe size as him. They were black combat boots and the pants were a light khaki. He also found a grey t-shirt that was in decent condition. It had some blood on it and a few holes. Overall the outfit was not his usual attire but he supposed at a time like this beggars couldn't be choosers.

He knew that Terra Save usually set up camp close to the site of first infection so he at least had an idea of where he was. There was an old Umbrella facility nearby that hadn't been used in a very long time. Very few people probably ever knew it existed and he doubted the BSAA had stumbled upon it given its remote location. In his current state walking there would not be the best idea, and so began his search for some form of transportation. He had found a rusty supply truck, and, although it was not his usual choice of transportation, it would have to do. Now that transportation was secured, he could take a moment to see if the new strain of Uroboros he had been developing has survived all of this. After all, he would really rather not have to go all the way over to that volcano again to try and find it. He thought he remembered seeing it in the medical tent.

What he did not expect to find in the wreckage of the medical tent was Claire Redfield lying peacefully next to her mangled comrades completely unharmed. Curious, he checked her pulse and noticed it was very rapid. He knew he would have kept her alive to use as bait to lure her brother into some kind of trap, but he had not been the one in control while the camp was being destroyed_. So why would Uroboros keep her alive?_ _Unless…_He thought as a smug smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Uroboros was at least resilient enough to know not to attack one of its own.

"Well, dear heart, it seems that Redfield luck prevails once again." He said before picking her up and carrying her over to the truck. If his theory was correct it could prove to be very useful to him. While he had carried her over to the truck, he had noticed there was something in his pocket and he pulled out a pair of keys. Holding the younger Redfield loosely in one arm while trying the keys with the other, he found that they were, in fact, the keys to the truck. After putting her in the passenger's seat, he walked over to the driver's side and got in. He put the keys in the ignition and turned them causing the engine to sputter before starting up. As drove away he couldn't help but smirk-after all he liked when things worked in his favor.

* * *

Sheva knew something was wrong the moment the camp was in sight. Thick black smoke could be seen high overhead, and the small team the BSAA had assembled for the camp all drew their weapons approaching the scene with apprehension.

Judging by the amount of carnage it didn't look like anyone had survived whatever had attacked the camp. The team had spread out so that they could walk amongst the ruins and bodies looking for survivors. Josh paused to look at something on the ground.

"These tire tracks lead away from the camp." He said as Sheva knelt down beside him.

"Then maybe some of them got out alive," said Sheva hoping this was the case, she remembered that Chris had told her his sister worked for TerraSave and that they might run into her.

"Yes, but why go east?" Josh asked his brow furrowed in thought.

"Maybe whatever attacked the camp was chasing them and they didn't have much of a choice." offered Sheva.

"Josh! Sheva! Come quickly, we've found a survivor," one of their teammates yelled as they quickly rushed over to where most of the team was located. When the team had spread out most of them had gone to check the main group of tents in the middle of the camp. The tire tracks Josh had spotted were more on the outskirts but still fairly close to the main camp area. The rest of the team now stood crowded around a young woman who lay on the floor clutching her abdomen, her shirt soaked with blood.

"Someone get a medic!" said Sheva with a sense of urgency.

"Don't…bother. I'm a doctor…there's too much hemorrhaging…I'm not going to make…" the woman gasped sitting up and speaking with difficulty.

"Save your strength," Sheva said trying to make the woman lay back down.

"No! I have to tell you! It…He…killed everyone…we didn't know he…so dangerous…he took her…I don't know why…but she knew…tried to warn us…"

"Who tried to warn you? About what?"

"Claire did…she said…he was responsible for…" the woman her closed eyes as her breathing became more labored.

"Responsible? Responsible for what!" Sheva asked with a sense of urgency in her voice. She could tell the woman was fading and she needed answers. The woman, however, just as she predicted did not make it and Sheva was left wondering.

"You don't think she meant…," began Josh processing what the woman had said.

"You were there Josh-no one could have survived that," Sheva sighed wearily.

What the woman had said that was disconcerting. She had said the name Claire and Sheva could remember a time while she and Chris were partners that he had talked about his sister. Her name was Claire, and, although they didn't see each other often, Chris and she were very close. From what Sheva understood, Claire had travelled all over the country at one point in time, in search of her brother. On the one hand, if the Claire this woman mentioned was Chris's sister at least it meant she was probably the one who took the truck and was hopefully not scattered somewhere amongst the carnage.

* * *

Claire jolted awake gasping for air, but then quickly shielding her eyes from the bright light. She was confused as to where she was. It was very loud and she could hear the roar of an engine. She could also sense there was someone beside her, she could smell them; a faint hint of expensive cologne and something else-it was almost musky but she it did not seem familiar to her so she could not place it. She could also hear their heart beat, or at least that was what she thought it was; it seemed too rapid for a normal heart beat.

An object was shoved into her hand and she realized they were a pair of sunglasses. She put them on and heard the person next to her speak though she could not pick out the distinct words amongst the jumble of noises around her. With her vision now returned she was able to take in her surroundings better. In front of her was a dash board with an old radio that didn't look like it worked anymore. She was in a seat fabric seat and she looked out the back window and noticed an empty truck bed. Judging by the turbulence and the sputtering of the engine the truck was old. She heard the clanking of gears as whoever was driving switched them.

The driver had done so rather effortlessly, meaning they had probably driven stick before. Nothing could make a road trip more agonizing than being with someone who could not shift gears well. She recalled the time when her brother had decided to teach Jill to drive stick shift. That half hour drive to their favorite burger place in town had been the longest half hour of her life. She scolded herself for a moment, now was not the time to be reminiscing. She was in a strange vehicle with a strange driver. She looked out the front window and saw nothing ahead of them but the dirt they were driving on. _How had she gotten here?_

The last thing she remembered was feeling pain; she had passed out or something. Now she was here-here with someone. She turned to look at who was driving the truck and regretted it. A million thoughts filled her head and since she couldn't decide which one she wanted to voice she opted for glaring at the man beside her. She realized with the sunglasses on it was rather pointless.

However, Wesker could see that she was becoming more aware of her surroundings. Her eyes had flashed behind the sunglasses when she looked at him. Who ever thought Claire Redfield would have been one of the chosen ones? After all, he had his superior intellect, was in his physical prime, someone like him was hardly a waste to society. He also had ambition. Claire Redfield thought she was going to make the world a better place by helping people, giving food to the weak and degenerate. Her efforts were pathetic at best.

The way to make the world a better place was to be rid of such people as the ones she was trying to help. He wouldn't have to step in to aid the evolutionary process of the human race if people like Claire Redfield didn't go around interrupting it. The strong survive; the weak perish that was the way it was supposed to be. By allowing them to live you were only diluting the potential of the human race.

Although as seen with both her and her brother Redfields did seem to have a natural knack for surviving. Thankfully unlike her brother the younger Redfield had gone to college and got her degree-so, at least she understood the importance of strengthening both the body and the mind. Perhaps she was not a total lost cause.

"Ms. Redfield, if I hadn't taken you with me, I imagine you would have been in the hands of the BSAA by now. I'm sure they would have loved to use you to gain information about Uroboros," He offered in a bored tone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Claire asked with a grimace. Her headache was coming back and the loud noises around her were just irritating it further.

"It seems dear heart, that you are one of the chosen ones." He said with a smug smirk, watching as she began to process the information. "Been feeling a little different as of late? Headache? Sensitivity to light? Heightened sense of hearing?"

She did not like the mocking tone in his voice one bit, but she felt the color draining from her face as she realized she was experiencing all of the things he had mention. She started to recall the events that had happened since they found him. Eventually, she settled on one in particular: when she had been fighting the Uroboros and it had stabbed her with a scalpel and syringe. The syringe! She had thought it had been empty, but what if it hadn't? Was she infected? She felt a moment of panic and she quickly grabbed the rear view mirror, tilting it towards her face to look at her eyes-prepared for the worst. Familiar blue orbs stared back at her and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Worried you might find a monster staring back at you, dear heart?"

"You bastard! What the fuck did you do to me?" She yelled anger and hatred rising up inside of her.

"Ms. Redfield, such language is rather unbecoming," he scolded still looking straight ahead at the dirt they were currently driving on. "I have done nothing to put you in the state you are in."

"You stabbed me with the syringe-you had everything to do with it!" She yelled once again. She wasn't entirely sure why she was yelling; in fact, the louder tone made her head hurt even more. She was feeling overwhelmed and right now anger was an easy emotion to cling to.

He hadn't realized that. In fact, that sample had been meant for him. It was going to stabilize him so that he would no longer need the PG67A/W. Now it was in Claire, and, judging by the fact she had not mutated, it was a very stable strain of Uroboros. He would need to run some tests and take a sample of her blood to be sure. If it was, in fact, a stable strain he would, perhaps, be able to use her blood to create something to stabilize himself. Not being in control of himself was becoming quite the nuisance.

While he was contemplating this, Claire was also thinking about what her next move would be. She knew she needed to get away from Wesker; the farther away she was from him the better. She needed to get back to the camp and try to rendezvous with the BSAA team that would be there soon. She wondered if anyone was looking for her. How had he escaped and taken her without anyone noticing? She took a moment to observe her surroundings further. They were in an old truck this she knew but where had the truck come from? She shifted in her seat and heard a loud crunch. She looked down at her feet thinking she had crushed something heavy from the magnitude of the noise. It turned out to just be a peanut shell. They were scattered all over the floor of the truck and they reminded her of someone back at camp. Ron, who got their supplies every couple of weeks had quit smoking awhile back and was always munching on peanuts. She had a feeling that meant this was the truck she had always seen parked on the outskirts of camp.

She also noticed that Wesker was not as put together as he usually seemed to be. He was wearing a pair of light khaki pants and a grey shirt which looked out of place on the man she usually saw clad in all black. There was dried blood on his arms and hands, and the moment she saw it she could smell the metallic scent of it. _Was that his blood or someone else's? Oh god, what if he had done something to her friends?_She would have to get out of here and she began to look around frantically formulating her best form of escape.

Wesker had noticed that the younger Redfield had tensed suddenly, and he was curious as to what she was thinking to make her do so. Curiosity quickly turned to frustration, when she suddenly threw open the passenger side door and jumped. He slammed on the brakes and they screeched loudly causing him to clench his jaw at the irritating noise. If that had bothered him he imagined Claire was in agony right now-he, after all, had better control of his senses.

She recovered quicker than he expected and was actually quite a distance away from the truck. She did not have much control over what she was doing-spastically dashing in once direction before then ending up in the complete opposite direction. Essentially, she was going nowhere. He quickly caught up with her, and grabbed her from behind to keep her from going elsewhere. He forgot to brace himself for her new strength. When she struggled, she quickly broke free turned and delivered a hard kick to his chest that sent him flying. He landed a few feet away and got up and dusting himself off._Why are all Redfields such a nuisance?_He thought as he walked towards her.

This time he was ready for her and when she went to dash he stepped in front of her so she collided with him. He took the moment she was disoriented to grab her and hold her tightly against him.

"Let me go!" She shouted angrily as she struggled to break free from his grasp.

"No." He said firmly. "Ms. Redfield, you are being rash, you need to calm down before you hurt yourself."

She let out a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush and continued to struggle.

"You've been infected, Ms. Redfield, and it is evident you have no idea how to control the power you have been given."

"Then I'll find an antidote. I'm going to the BSAA-they will know what to do."

"There is no antidote, dear heart. You're dead. Uroboros is so toxic it kills you the moment you are injected. The strain you had was… Well, to put it simply, watered down. " His words caused her to stop struggling and he let her go as she turned to face him eyes blazing.

"You're lying! I think I would know if I had died." She said glaring at him and starting to walk away.

"From what I remember it's very dark and there is a whole lot of nothing." He said causing her to stop in her tracks. She turned around to face him once again. "You have questions, dear heart; I have answers." He said with an arrogant smirk, knowing by the resigned look on her face he had won.

_Damn it._ She thought when she realized he was right. She was infected and he had helped create the virus that was coursing through her veins; if anyone would have answers it would be him. She could not even begin to think of what question to ask first-so many of them were swirling around in her head. She just wished there was some way to knock that smug look of his face. Almost as soon as she thought this the he let out a cry of pain as the smirk became a grimace. He fell to his knees, hands coming to his head, before he began writhing in pain. It was very similar to the seizures he seemed to have when he was unconscious.

She just stood next to him watching because she was not really sure what else to do. It lasted for a minute or two before he recovered and stood up once more. He dusted himself off and now that he was composed he stated in a calm tone "We should get back to the truck."

He then began walking back towards the vehicle that was a few feet away as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Claire took longer strides to keep up with him. "Can I ask a question now?"

"You just did." He said in a bored tone.

"What the hell was that?" She said gesturing behind them to the spot where he had just had a fit. They had reached the truck and rather than go over to the passenger side she had followed him to ask the question.

"I'm unstable." He said opening the door but not getting inside the truck. She scoffed and mumbled "Yeah, I know."

"The virus in me is unstable, Ms. Redfield." He clarified and she noticed his eyes flash behind the sunglasses. She wondered why he had not gotten in the truck yet, and then realized he wanted her to climb in first. It was a bench seat so she could easily enter the vehicle on either side. She climbed in and he followed a moment later shutting the door behind him.

"The strain of the virus that is now inside of you was meant to stabilize me. Now, it seems I'm just going to have to use you to figure out an alternative. Like it or not, dear heart, we're going to be helping one another." He stated while he adjusted the rearview mirror.

"Great." She mumbled sarcastically as he turned the ignition and started up the truck. She pinched the bridge of her nose as her headache started up again. She couldn't help but think this was only the beginning of whatever torture was in store for her once they reached their destination.

**Don't forget to review, please.**


	3. Gods

Chris was beginning to worry. Claire had told him she would call sometime this week and he still had not heard from her. The last time they had talked over the rather poor satellite connection, she had said the camp had been attacked by a BOW but they were expecting BSAA re-enforcements. He would like to think his sister was fine, but he knew she had a knack for getting herself into dangerous situations.

"Chris, if you don't leave in the next five minutes you're going to be late," said a voice from the doorway. He turned to see Jill leaning against the doorframe. Jill had been staying at his place ever since they had gotten back from Africa. He liked the company, and it also meant he could keep an eye on her; she hadn't said much about what had happened while she was gone and he was worried about her.

"Yeah, well, I may be able to reload a gun in record time, but this penguin suit is giving me trouble." He laughed fumbling with the bowtie of the tux. The tux had been tailored to him, but he had bought it a few years back and he had gained more muscle since then so it was a little tight. It would do, though. Jill crossed the room and walked over to him to help with the tie. She on the other hand was not dressed formally at all, her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and she was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and grey sweats.

"Thanks." He said when she completed the task he had failed at.

"No problem." She said with a smile.

"Remind me again why I'm going to this without my partner?" He sighed not looking forward to what he expected would be a rather long and boring evening. They were awarding him with some kind of medal for his service with the BSAA. Honestly, he could really care less about the awards.

"Because, I'm on leave and the higher ups said I didn't have to. I'm sure after all the stuff we've been through meeting a Senator will be a piece of cake."

He laughed. "Probably or it could be worse. I know how to deal with zombies-not senators."

"I've heard their actually not all that different." She smirked.

Their light moment turned serious though when Chris asked, "you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself? I mean, I can leave early-otherwise I might not get back here till it's late."

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll just do whatever I want... If you want to have an excuse to leave early though…" She shrugged unconsciously putting a hand over the area where the devise on her chest had been. Chris noticed she did this whenever she was uncomfortable or if something reminded her of Africa.

"And that is why you are such a great partner-always bailing me out when I'm in trouble." He gave her a friendly hug. He wasn't really sure where their relationship stood at the moment, and he knew Jill need time to get used to having her life back under her own control. He could wait to press the matter.

"Well, you help me out sometimes too." She said with a small smile. It quickly faded when she no longer felt his arms around her. She watched him search for this wallet and his keys-all the while thinking of the short hug. Chris gave the best hugs; they always seemed to convey a sense of security and reassurance. For that brief moment when his arms were around her, all was right with the world. One of the things she loved about Chris was the fact he was so loyal. He had always been there for her and always would be.

Chris noticed Jill's blank expression and wondered what she was thinking about. She had been doing this a lot lately; although, this time she had a small smile on her face rather than the usual uncertainly in her eyes. Sometimes she looked like she was carrying the weight of world. Part of him wanted to demand that she tell him what was wrong. He just wanted to fix things, but he couldn't fix something if he didn't know what the problem was, nor did he want to pressure her to talk about Africa. For now, he would just have to be patient and understanding.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He stated before heading towards the door.

"Chris." She said causing him to pause to and look at her. She could see how concerned he was and knew if she asked him too, he would. Yes, she was afraid of being alone right now, but the only way she was going to get better was if she faced this on her own.

She knew she couldn't blame herself. They had used the antibodies in her blood to create Uroboros. If they didn't have her she was almost certain Wesker would have found someone else to use. Still, she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. She had basically devoted her life to fighting bioterrorism and in the process had created the most deadly weapon for it. She realized she hadn't said anything and Chris looked ready to drop everything and say he would just stay here.

"You look very handsome in that suit." Her smile carried more confidence in it than she actually felt.

"Good because I feel ridiculous." He chuckled, before once again assuring her he would be back soon.

* * *

_I'm dead_…

The phrase seemed to be constantly playing in her head as they drove to wherever it was Wesker was taking them. The thing was she didn't feel all that different. The constant headache was making her patience wear thin but at least with the sunglasses on she was no longer blinded. She just wasn't sure she particularly liked the idea of having to wear sunglasses all the time; after all Wesker did and last thing she wanted was to be anything like him. From what she could tell she still hated Wesker, loved her brother, and her general sympathy for people seemed the same._Should she feel different now that she had died?_

Her headache seemed to lessen as she heard the truck's engine sputter once more before turning off. "Not another one."She mumbled looking over at Wesker thinking he was going to have another fit again. They had stopped a few other times during their drive when this had happened. She had even offered to drive, but he had refused. When one did not come she asked "Why'd we stop?"

"Unless, dear heart, you know a way to drive a truck through those trees we're going to have to walk the rest of the way." He stated in a snide tone gesturing at the wall of rainforest in front of them. Claire had been far too deep in thought earlier and had not really been paying attention to where they were going.

They both got out of the truck and headed towards the dense jungle. Wesker walked ahead of her using his bare hands to clear any plant life that obscured their path. He noticed Claire was tense and on edge, she kept looking around when she heard even the smallest of sounds. It was almost amusing, he thought, she doesn't realize that nothing in here is going to attack her. Animals instinctually stay away from something superior to them.

"Where exactly are we going?" She asked flinching when something in the distance swung to a different tree. Upon entering the forest her survival instincts had kicked in. She was in an unknown place without a weapon and she had no idea what sort of creatures might be out here.

"There is an old Umbrella base not too far from here." He said which did not ease her tension at all. _Great now that means there may be BOWs out here._

Claire was unsure how long they had walked because it was so dark in the forest that she could not tell if it was day or night. She also could not tell because she did not feel tired or hungry and the lack of such feelings was causing her to be unable to figure out how much time had passed. _Would she ever need to eat and sleep again?_

Thunder rumbled above them and not a moment later they were doused with rain. _Fantastic_she sarcastically thought as her rain drenched shirt began to cling to her body. These were currently the only clothes she had with her.

"I am most certainly in hell." She mumbled prying her foot out of the mud only to place down the next foot and have the same thing happen.

Wesker who had obviously heard her turned to face her, and watched her struggle. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, dear heart." He said with a smirk. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest not at all liking the almost suggestive tone in his voice.

"I just died. I have the worst headache of my life. I'm infected. I'm trudging through a god damn jungle. It's pouring. Plus I'm stuck here with you. Please, do explain to me how any of that can be seen as a good thing."

"Well, at least I know for certain now that sample was stable enough to be used." He mused.

"I meant a good thing for me, not for you, you narcissistic bastard!" She yelled.

He clenched his jaw and said in a calm tone that did not match his stern expression. "Don't try my patience, Ms. Redfield. You're self pity is pathetic. You have been given a great gift of a godlike nature."

"Yeah, godlike. That would explain why I feel like Persephone." She scoffed. So what if she was trying his patience, she had agreed to help him by providing a blood sample-she never promised anything about being nice, or even civil for that matter.

He smirked and chuckled "Well then dear heart, I suggest you don't eat any pomegranates."

Her response was yet another glare and they didn't speak anymore the rest of the journey. The rain wasn't making their journey any easier, but after trudging through the rainforest for what seemed like days they stumbled upon the Umbrella base. The roots of one of the large trees obscured most of the entryway. It was a small hatch with a submarine like door. If Wesker hadn't had known where it was Claire doubted she would have been able to find it. The door blended perfectly with the ground.

It was underground and therefore undisturbed by the rainforest above them. There was no power but they did find a generator, it was rusty and a few bolts were loose.

"We should spread out and look for a tool kit," said Wesker after examining the generator for a moment. He started to head down one of the corridors to the right of the generator expecting Claire to go down the other one to the left. However, Claire seemed to be instead following him.

"That means you go the other way, dear heart." He stated in a patronizing tone.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm going to go wandering around an abandoned Umbrella base by myself." She scoffed. Truth was this place gave her the creeps and she didn't want to let the man she did not trust out of her sights. After all, who know what kinds of creatures were in this base and he may decide he didn't need her alive to obtain a blood sample.

"Very well." He said before proceeding further down the hall.

"What's all this?" asked Claire as they walked further down the hall and passed some large refrigerator sized machinery.

"All this, unfortunately, is the hard drive for the computer." Wesker had known the facility had not been used in a very long time-he just hadn't quite remembered how advanced technology had become since he had first started working for Umbrella. It would take much longer to get work done here then it would be in his personal lab.

This facility was actually on the smaller side for an Umbrella base. There was the basement level where the generator was keep along with some of the things for the computer. The first level consisted of a few labs and a few living quarters. The second floor was the mess hall as well as a few storage rooms. It was strange because everything had been left exactly the way it had been about 45 years ago. There was still a cup of coffee on one of the tables in the lab as well as notes on a test subject. It was like everyone had just been told to drop everything and leave; then the place was sealed up and forgotten.

They eventually found a tool kit and headed back down to the basement to work on the generator. Although they would not need it to turn on the lights, both of them had no trouble seeing in the dark, they would need power for the computers. Wesker got to work fixing the generator and Claire finally decided to try and get some answers.

"What happened at the camp?" She said with hesitation. Part of her already knew the answer, people generally didn't stay alive long after being around Wesker.

"From what I understand everyone is dead." He stated. The monotone followed by the clanking of tools hitting the generator.

"And you just killed them all?" She said her voice breaking for a moment. Everyone was dead. She was beginning to realize that this happened often around her; it still never made it any easier, though. She always seemed to survive, but her friends were not always so lucky. Her thoughts went to Sarah, who had been back at the camp, and Steve on Rockford.

"Yes." He said flatly continuing on with his work. She clenched her fists feeling hatred rise inside of her. _How could someone become so cold that they could speak so calmly about this?_

"Do you feel even the tiniest bit of remorse about this?" She seethed.

"Well, it did leave quite a mess." He stated in a rather matter of fact tone.

"You bastard! You know, if I couldn't hear it all the time I would say you didn't have a heart!" She shouted knowing the insult would have no effect on him. She just needed to yell something and that seemed to be the first thing to come to mind.

He chuckled at the rather feeble attempt to anger him. "And you, dear heart, care fair too much about other people for your own good, but I don't go around shouting it at you." She clenched her teeth and imagined how satisfying it would be to send him flying across the room.

The generator began to grumble and then the hum of the engine could be heard. Wesker got up and headed over to the electric circuit. "And let there be…light." He said with a smirk as the building was suddenly illuminated.

"You're hardly creating the world." She scoffed at the reference.

"I'd imagine I wouldn't need seven days." He said walking past her. Like he expected she followed him down the hallway and into one of the labs.

* * *

Chris got home later than he had wanted to. He had tried to leave early, but there were a lot of people at the banquet his superiors ushered him around to meet. He wasn't big on the whole politics of the evening but he knew why they were doing it. The BSAA needed to show that what they were doing was actually working. They were probably a little disappointed when the Senator didn't end up showing to the event. Apparently, she had an urgent family matter she needed to attend to.

He opened the door to the house quietly just in case Jill was sleeping, and after putting his keys in the dish on the counter made his way into the living room to find Jill asleep on the couch only visible because of the faint glow from the TV that was still on. She lay nestled amongst the couch cushions with what he thought at first glance was a blanket wrapped around her. When he got closer he realized it was an old grey sweatshirt of his. Her face was obscured by some of her brown locks that had escaped from her ponytail. Restoring her original hair color had been one of the first things she had done when she got back.

He reached up and tucked the strands behind her ear, he did so very carefully because she looked so peaceful and he did not want to wake her. When he gently picked her up bridal-style, she mumbled something incoherent in her sleep as he carried her over to Claire's room, which was also the guest room, that she had been staying in. When he placed her down on the bed he noticed her stir slightly.

"Hey, how'd it go?" she asked still half asleep.

"Fine. I would have rather just stayed here, though."

"Sheva, your partner in Africa called; she said she needed to talk to you. I left the number on the fridge. She said not to worry about the time difference," mumbled Jill as she began to fall back asleep.

Doing as she said, Chris went into the kitchen to retrieve the number from the fridge and dialed it with a sense of urgency. Already many ideas as to what could have gone wrong were going through his head. He imagined another outbreak or BOW's and Claire alone trying to fight them off.

"Hello?" His old partner snapped from the other end of the line. She sounded out of breath and irritated.

"Sheva, it's Chris. What's wrong?"

"Chris, do you know what Terra Save camp your sister was assigned to?" asked Sheva apprehensively.

"Just south of Kijuju. Why?" Said Chris getting a sinking feeling in his gut. _Had something happened to Claire? Was she hurt or worse…dead?_

"Look there's not easy way to say this so I'm just going to tell you what I know. The camp was attacked by what we think was a person who turned into a BOW, based on the only eyewitness account we had. They also said that whoever attacked the camp took Claire. Josh and I are in pursuit now."

"Damn it! I'll head to the airport now and catch the next flight I'll be there as soon as I can." He said walking out of the kitchen and heading to his room to start packing; hap-hazardly throwing items into a duffle bag.

"Chris, Josh and I can handle it for now. Let us do a little digging, and you can go talk to HQ and see if they think you need to fly down here." Said Sheva trying to calm him down a bit. "You can help us out though. Our eyewitness said that Claire knew the man who destroyed the camp and knew he was dangerous. Can you think of anyone that she would know like that?"

"Not anyone alive." He sighed slamming his first on the counter in frustration.

"We're going to do everything we can to find her."

"Just keep me posted." He said.

"Of course." Sheva said.

* * *

With everything now fully functional in the base, Wesker had begun his research. After he took a few blood samples from Claire, she had decided to go into one of the bedrooms and maybe find something less rain soaked to wear. Also, she really didn't want to be around Wesker anymore, the less time she could spend around him the better.

At the moment, she was laying on one of the rather uncomfortable beds in the dormitories. She had on a large lab coat that did a decent enough job covering her while her clothes, which she had laid out on one of the other beds, dried. She could not sleep, nor did she feel the slightest bit tired. She just stared at the ceiling contemplating everything that had happened to her in the past few hours…or days…she wasn't entirely sure. She usually knew what to do in a situation but right now she just felt lost. She had so many questions and she knew who had the answers-she just didn't particularly like the idea of having to go to him for them.

Hours passed and eventually the need for any kind of distraction to pull her from the dark abyss of her thoughts would be welcomed. She checked her clothes to see that they had still not dried so she headed over to the lab where she thought Wesker might be. She had expected to find him working on the computer in the exact same place she had left him hours ago, what she did not expect was to find him no longer wearing a shirt.

It was currently draped over one of the lab tables and judging by the dark grey color it didn't seem to be drying any fast than her own clothing. From where the doorway to the lab was, she stood off to the side of him, which gave her a clear view of his upper body. He was in very good shape, but he was a more of a lean type of muscular rather than bulky. _Someone so evil should not be allowed to be so perfectly chiseled._ She thought as she stood there. Almost immediately afterward she scolded herself for observing him like this, it wasn't what was on the outside that counted-he may be handsome, but he was also a heartless bastard, who had spent years tormenting her brother, had kidnapped Sherry, and had murdered her friends.

"Was there something you wanted to say or are you just going to stand there staring." He said in a bored tone. He knew she had been trying to avoid him, but he also knew she would be back to bother him sooner rather than later. Although he never understood the appeal of being around other people and was perfectly content being completely alone, for some reason most people needed to be around people.

"Why can't I sleep?" She said holding the rather low v neck of the lab coat tightly closed when he turned to face her.

"It's actually all rather complicated, but to put it in layman's terms: you have evolved to not need more than maybe an hour every few weeks of sleep. Maybe two hours if you do something particularly exhausting. You also don't have to eat more than a large meal about once a month. "

"Oh…" she said not really sure how she felt about that. She did, however, know how she felt about him treating her like she was an idiot. She had gone to college, after all. She was almost going to say something in retort when she remembered that her outbursts generally just seemed to amuse him.

"You also no longer need to wear the sunglasses. I'd imagine by now your photosensitivity has subsided."

"Why don't my eyes looks like yours?" She asked while removing the glasses. For a moment she expected to be blinded by the lights in the room, but was very glad when she was not.

"Sometimes they do." He said studying her with interest. He wanted to see if her eyes changed or not. It was, after all, a rather intriguing anomaly and he wanted to know what caused the change.

"What do you mean?" she said hesitantly. Part of her wanted to locate a mirror again so she could see if her eyes had changed or not; another part, however, never wanted to see the red-gold eyes on her.

"Generally it happens just about any time I speak; though I would assume that has to do with the fact that most of the things I say anger you." He stated coming to this conclusion when her eyes stayed the same dark blue color. Thinking back to the times he had seen them flash behind the sunglasses it was generally when she didn't like something he said.

"How long is all this going to take?" She asked changing the subject and gesturing towards the computer screen behind him.

"I don't know. It could be anywhere from six months to a year, maybe more." He said turning back towards his work.

"Wait, I'm stuck here with you for a year?" She shouted in a panicked tone.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, dear heart." He said in a patronizing tone.

"But you already got a blood sample, what the hell do you still need me for?"

"I can't exactly have you go running off to your brother and the BSAA now, can I?"

Her brother. She had almost forgotten about how freaked out he would be when he realized she might be dead. Maybe she could find some kind of transmitting device and then find a way to let him know she was okay…well, relatively speaking. It was more that she was not in immediate need of rescue. She would also be able to let him know that Wesker was in fact still alive. After all, Wesker just seemed to be sitting by the computer hardly paying attention to her. Maybe she could find a way to snoop around without him noticing?

Wesker glanced over at the younger Redfield and saw that she was deep in thought, and, although he liked the fact that she was now being quiet, he did not like the look on her face. Last time she had looked like that a few moments later she had jumped out of a moving vehicle.

"Dear heart," he said causing her to look over at him. "I'm giving you a rather long leash; it would be in your best interest not to choke yourself with it."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I can't make any promises."

"I'd imagine not, foolishness runs in the family." He said earning himself another glare before the redhead stormed out of the lab. _Finally, some peace and quiet_ he thought as he turned his full attention back to the screen in front of him.

**Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Searching

**Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing I'm glad you like reading the story as much as I like writing it. Anyways here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

Claire had taken to wandering around the base now that all the lights were on, and she was almost certain there were no BOWs around; after all they would have attacked her by now if there were. So far, she had found nothing interesting and nothing she could use to contact her brother. At this point, the only way she could achieve any communication with the outside world was if she got a hold of the computer that Wesker was working on and then hoped the stone aged device could email.

Even this plan did not seem a possibility, because every time she walked by the lab he was there starting at the screen or pouring various liquids into test tubes nearby. She still didn't have a very good sense of time, but she was almost certain he had been in there for days.

After exploring one of the supply closets today and finding nothing but very old cleaning supplies, she headed over to the lab to see if maybe, this time, he was somewhere else. As always, however, she found him sitting in his usual chair staring at the computer screen. She was just about to turn around and head back to the dormitories to stare at the ceiling some more when his snide remark stopped her.

"Dear heart, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." He had been listening to her walking all around the base, and heard her sigh of defeat every time she realized he was still by the computer.

"Oh, go to hell." She snapped-it wasn't the best comeback in the world, but she was beginning to exhaust herself with them.

"From what you deduced a few days ago, I don't actually have to go anywhere." He said with a smirk then heading over to one of the centrifuges on the table and taking one of the vials out of it. He looked at this for a moment interested at the results. Unfortunately, he did not have time to really study what he had just seen because his muscles tensed as he was hit with another one of his seizures. He dropped the vial and it shattered all over the floor.

An alarm sounded and all the doors in the lab slammed shut. A rather computerized sounding voice stated that there was a biohazard spill in the main lab. Clare covered her ears and winced in pain.

"How do we make it stop?" She asked a now recovered Wesker.

He didn't answer her, and instead walked over to one of the walls before shoving a fist through it. The alarm stopped almost immediately and when Wesker removed is hand from the wall he was holding a bunch of wires. He rarely lost control of himself but his seizures were trying his patience and the last thing he needed was to have the blaring alarm give him a headache. He disliked the fact that the younger Redfield was able to see such outbursts and, therefore, know he had a weakness.

Claire also noticed, much to her relief, that the doors to the lab were open again. She watched as Wesker went back over to his work-ignoring the broke vial and instead grabbing a new one.

"How often do those happen?" She asked referring to the seizures.

He clenched his jaw, and did not look at her as he responded "More often than I would like."

She took this as her cue to leave him alone and headed back to the main dormitories. She was quickly running out of things to do to keep herself entertained. After all, she knew her boredom had reached its height when she was able to figure out there were 2,534 ceiling tiles in the room. Now that she no longer had to eat or sleep, days seemed to last forever. She missed all the tedious and seemingly boring tasks that came along with being human.

She never thought she would miss her alarm clock jarring her from a deep hibernation and having to reluctantly drag herself from the comfort of her nice warm bed knowing she would have to rush off to work soon. Or how she would never be truly awake until she downed some of the sludge Chris passed off as coffee. She wondered if things would taste the same; the cheap beer that always seemed to be in the fridge back home or spaghetti-one of the few foods she was confident she would not burn. Cooking was never a forte for Redfields.

She had picked up the habit of showering every couple of hours. There was something very relaxing about the whole experience. The sound of the water drowned out all other noises and, for a moment, she just felt normal-it was the most exhilarating feeling.

Whenever she was out of the shower she was once again assaulted by her environment: the mechanical clanking of the generator, the hum of the computer, the stale smell of the old sheets, and the generic brand of soap she had just used. She was so acutely aware of everything around her it was maddening.

She knew he thought of their powers as this great gift, but to Claire it was really more of a curse.

* * *

Chris slammed the door on his way out of his superior's office. He had heard from Sheva a few days ago that they had found the supply truck. It was abandoned, and Sheva speculated that his sister and her captor headed into the Congo. She had told him not to give up hope, but trying to find Claire was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

When he had told his superior that he wanted to go back to Africa with a BSAA team and try to find his sister, his superior had given him his condolences and told him that they could not spare the resources for such a mission. Luckily, Chris had a lot of vacation time saved up, and he had bought himself about two weeks to head over to Africa and look for Claire.

When he got home he noticed the bag he had already packed now had a partner.

"What did they say?" Said Jill coming out of what had basically become her room to greet him. He noticed she was dressed in dark grey combat pants and her blue jacket. Her hair was pulled back and hidden under a blue baseball cap, and she had a look of determination on her face.

"That they can't spare the resources," said Chris with a sigh. He knew this meant he was paying for the whole trip out of pocket. "I've taken two weeks off-that means I need to leave as soon as possible if I want to maximize search time."

"I've got miles saved up. I'll get the tickets," Jill said heading into her room. Chris followed and noticed she already had the airline website open and ready; all then needed was a departure time. Every since he had told Jill about Claire being taken, she had become obsessive in trying to find a solution. She had gotten a hold of all the files on Africa from the BSAA and had been pouring over each and every one. She had also called TerraSave and gotten all of their files on the camp including transcripts of any phone calls that went in and out of the place. She had been looking for anything they might have missed, or any information on people in the camp that seemed suspicious. So far, she had found nothing out of the ordinary, but that hadn't stopped her from looking.

"Jill, are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked looking at her with concern.

"No, but I do know that the sooner we find her the better." She said with a sigh. "Plus, can't let you go without your partner right?" she said clicking agree button and purchasing the tickets. It was final: she was going to face this whether she was ready or not. She let out a groan as a popup ad hindered her from printing out the confirmation number. It was for some pharmaceutical company, Genzyme.

"Is it bad that because they make medicine I assume they're evil?" asked Chris who had noticed the ad as well.

"It's backed by the Senator you were going to meet, and, so far, he's been doing a great job getting rid of the bad companies while helping the good. It's about time, if you asked me. Though, I think we have good reason to be jaded." She said closing the ad and turning off the computer.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

* * *

Claire had spent the last hour rummaging through some of the drawers in the dormitory, and, so far, had found nothing interesting-just spare clothes and pens. There were no books, magazines, or newspapers: not anything for leisure. She was beginning to think that Umbrella employees did nothing but work-that was until she found the diary. Its pages were yellowing and she noticed it had that particular musty smell old books often had.

She opened it to the first page and began to read.

_Property of Caroline Walker_

_January 7th__1968_

_They say I am here because I am to be working on a special project for the company. It almost made me laugh. They didn't even have the decency to try and spin a reasonable lie. There is only the illusion of research; in truth, we are the ones being watched, we are the ones being tested._

_All the people in this facility are here because we started to ask questions. We started to see the truth. We started to see that what Umbrella is doing is wrong. Adam was wrong. It wasn't an honor that our son was chosen. They may be smart but they are only children…_

Claire shut the diary, not really in the mood to read more. She knew Umbrella was capable of horrible things, but this woman was suggesting they had done something to children. Such a thought made her feel sick. _Why had she never heard about this before?_ She put the diary down on her bed and went to take a shower. She needed to clear her head of the horrible images of small children being strapped down to lab tables and being poked and prodded.

When she emerged, about an hour later, she got dressed and then headed over to the lab. She highly doubted that Wesker would be anywhere other than near the computer, but, perhaps, today was her lucky day. When she rounded the corner and stood in the doorway she almost let out her usual sigh of disappointment when she laid eyes on him. Luckily, she did not because she noticed something was different.

He sat at the computer, but this time he was not staring at the screen. Instead he was hunched over the desk, his head resting on his arms. _Was he sleeping?_ She thought. Although his posture suggested he was, the sunglasses made it impossible to tell for sure if his eyes were closed.

She walked quietly over to the computer, letting out a breath she did not even realize she had been holding. She leaned over, careful to not touch his arm that was very close to the keyboard. The screen on the computer was black with green writing. Most of the text on the screen looked as though it was in a different language or a code: numbers and letters all jumbled together. She looked down at the keyboard and realized there was no mouse. _How the hell did this thing work anyway?_

Wesker had woken up the moment he heard her enter. He merely wanted to see what she would do. After all, he knew the computer wouldn't have any way of contacting people in the way she wanted to, but he also knew she would keep up her rather desperate attempt to use the device until she knew it would not work. She wouldn't trust his word on the subject.

She had been so busy trying to work the frustration electronic that she had not even realized that Wesker had sat up and was now sitting back in his chair, observing her feeble attempt to communicate with the outside world. He did have to give the Redfield credit for tenacity. Annoying as it was, Redfields always seemed to stick to a task until they had achieved it. Perhaps he could us this level of commitment to his advantage. He would just have to give her a task that worked to his advantage.

"Stupid thing!" She said slamming her fist down on the table, her moment of frustration causing her to forget about the man next to her.

"Dear heart, the computer is only as intelligent as the person using it." He stated smugly.

"You've been awake this whole time, haven't you?" She sighed pulling her fist from the twisted metal dent she had caused in the table. She studied a cut on her hand and watched as it healed itself almost instantly.

He noticed the perplexed expression on her face as she said "Huh, that barely even hurt."

"I've tried to inform you before; being infected is not all bad." He said in a bored tone; he, after all, hated having to repeat himself.

"Well, nothing is ever all bad. Some things are just more bad than good." She shrugged still looking at her hand. Part of the reason she had not tried to run away again was because she still needed answers. After all, she barely even knew what she was capable of. They had lapsed into silence, and, during this time, Wesker went back to his work while Claire just stood there next to him staring blankly at the screen deep in thought.

He could tell by the way she had been moping around the place for the past few days that she was not adjusting to her new found existence very well. He didn't understand why she felt this need to cling to humanity. Why should she care about the people at the camp that had been killed? She was better than all of them, had transcended from the petty existence she had once shared with them to something more.

She could have easily tried to get to the computer by force, she was powerful enough to do so, but he was beginning to realize she really had no idea just how much power she possessed. He did admire her patience, though. Although she shared many traits with her brother, the fact that she showed the ability to not be rash all the time proved to be promising.

"You really don't have any idea of what you are capable of, do you, dear heart?" He mused jarring her from her thoughts.

"What?" She said looking over at him. She had heard him speak, but had not really been listening to what he had said.

He gestured over to the dent in the table as he said, "That kind of power is useless if utilized incorrectly." He got up from his chair and pushed it in. "Not to mention the harm you could do to other people without knowing it; after all, I can't imagine how the BSAA will react to a dangerous infected individual such as you. I can teach you…"

"What's the catch?" she said crossing her arms and looking at him wearily. She knew he was right. After all, she knew the BSAA's general policy when it came to infected things was to destroy them. She also knew that Wesker was not the type of person to do something unless it benefited him.

"Catch?" He said in an amused tone.

"Well, you're not exactly one to do things out of the kindness of your own heart. So how do you benefit from teaching me?"

"Dear heart, although at times your temper has gotten the better of you, you have for the most part been fairly agreeable." He said taking a step closer to her as he spoke, "Your blood looks as though it will be useful to me. It is a matter of quid pro quo. That's Latin for..."

She subconsciously inched back a bit only to feel part of the desk. She interrupted him before he could once again imply that is was stupid. "I know what it means. It's a matter of I'll scratch your back, you'll scratch mine. Although, I'm not really sure I want you anywhere near my back-you might stick a knife in it." She glared.

The action only earned her a chuckle as he leaned closer to her. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the lack of distance between them. They had been exchanging verbal blows for quite some time now; however, this never involved them having to be this close to one another. When he was closer his heart beat was louder and the faint scent of cologne that was slowly becoming familiar was stronger-it overwhelmed her senses and she did not like being incapacitated around him.

"Dear heart, if I wanted to kill you, I would hardly need the knife." He said into her ear as though he were telling her a secret. As soon as he was done speaking he moved away from her. He was still a little too close for comfort, but she felt a little better now that he was further away.

"Why haven't you killed me?" She asked.

As he turned away from her and started walking towards the lab door, he explained, "It would be rather foolish of me to destroy such a prime example of the success of Uroboros."

"One success out of quiet a lot of failure," she pointed out as she walked towards him. She had been slightly emboldened by the notion that he did not plan to kill her. She noticed his eyes flash from behind the sunglasses as he clenched his jaw.

"Don't make me change my mind, Ms. Redfield." He stated in a stern tone. "Now do you want me to teach you or not?"

He was giving her a choice, but it was really only the illusion of one; they both knew she would be foolish not to accept the help. She shrugged and said "Fine, let's go then."

"After you," he said allowing her to go through the doorway first.

She knew learning how to control her new abilities was in her best interest. Wesker was the only one who knew enough about them to actually teach her to use them. It was the smart thing to do. She still couldn't help the sinking feeling that she had just made a deal with the devil.

* * *

When Chris and Jill arrived at the airport, and Sheva and Josh were there to greet them. He was surprised they had gotten there so quickly; from what he had heard last the pair had only just arrived back at the BSAA outpost before heading to pick them up. After getting their bags, they got into a jeep and drove over to the TerraSave campsite. Sheva had explained that the two of them might want to look for clues there as well as borrow some supplies from the local BSAA unit before heading off into the Congo.

Chris had become even more worried the moment he had laid eyes on his former partner and her boyfriend. He could tell there was something she was not telling him. She was avoiding eye contact, and she and Josh kept exchanging worried glances. He didn't press the matter until they arrived at the wreckage of the TerraSave camp.

"Alright, who's going to tell me what's wrong?" He said looking at the pair.

Sheva let out a sigh before saying, "They found another survivor. He was a supply truck driver. He's been unconscious for quite some time, but yesterday he was responsive. Josh and I asked him for a rough description of the John Doe."

"How is that bad news? Now we know who took Claire." Said Chris as everyone got out of the jeep. He made his way around the jeep so that he could face Sheva.

"He described the man as being tall, athletic, and blond…, with eyes like fire."

Chris felt his stomach turn. _There was no way that could be possible. No one could survive that._ He knew his former Captain had a knack for cheating death, but this was just too much. He had been certain Wesker had been finished for good this time. If two RPG rounds and a volcano couldn't kill this man he was beginning to doubt that anything could.

"That's not possible." Said Jill, hand going to the place where the device on her chest had been. Chris hoped this was the case, and he imagined they all did.

"He met with a sketch artist this morning that can help us confirm the ID," Sheva said heading over to the main tent. It was where they had been keeping the injured man as well as any other important information they had found about the TerraSave camp. The truck driver was in bad shape; there was hardly any part of him that wasn't bloody or bandaged, and, at the moment, he was resting.

The doctor, who was looking after him, handed them the sketch of the John Doe. The instant he laid eyes on it Chris wished he hadn't. It shattered all hope that the sleeping truck driver could have been mistaken. There was no doubting the man in the sketch was Albert Wesker._That monster has Claire_, he thought as he felt anger rise inside of him. He resisted the urge to crumple up the drawing- anything to stop the damn soulless eyes from mocking him further. He did still cling to the edges of the paper so tightly it was one small movement away from being torn in half, though.

"We have to find her." He said with a sense of urgency. "We have to fine her before…" he stopped mid sentence glancing over at Jill. He didn't finish the sentence because he didn't want to hurt her.

Jill however said in a resigned tone, "Before he makes her like me."

He sighed "Jill I didn't mean…"

"Look, I know time heals all wounds but I think we both know that is still leaves scars. It's alright, I know I'm scarred." Her tone was resigned. She had accepted the fact that she would never be the same after all of this, but that still did not mean she had to like it. She would do everything in her power to make sure Claire did not have to go through what she did.

There it was again; that expression that made her look so heavy. He knew it was a bad idea having her come here. He hated seeing her get hurt. He watched as her sad expression morphed into a look of determination. "The sooner we find her the better."

"Agreed." He said with a nod.

"And let's make sure the bastard stays dead this time."

**Always love to hear feedback, so review please.**


	5. Battles

**Well here you go another chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing. Enjoy.**

As Claire lay flat on her back in yet another Claire sized dent for what seemed like the hundredth time today, she was starting to think this wasn't really a lesson- rather just an excuse for Wesker to work out his anger issues on her. They had started their first training session and were currently using one of the larger storage rooms to practice in.

Pulling herself up once again, she turned to face him ready for the next attack. Instead he just stood there and said "Your brother taught you to fight."

"How could you possibly know that?" She scoffed. She was tensed and ready for an attack as he began to walk around her.

"I'd recognize those sloppy heavy handed punches any day. Although your brother's Neanderthal like strategy of bludgeoning something until it stops moving does produce some results, there are many other fighting styles that are much more effective. Now I want you to hit me."

_Gladly,_ she thought as she came closer to him before taking a swing aiming to clock him in the jaw. Her fist never connected with his face because he swiftly dodged the blow, and grabbed her arm yanking her further in the direction she was already traveling, throwing her to the ground once again.

"Okay seriously! What the hell? I thought you were supposed to be teaching me something!" She yelling sitting up and throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "So far, all I've learned is that I can dent the concrete!"

"This exercise was to see what you already know; clearly, I have my work cut out for me." He said with a sigh. Sloppy and reckless were the two words he kept coming back to when he thought of how to describe her fighting style. She was athletic and the virus had improved her reflexes and stamina, but on the occasions when she did manage to block or dodge one of his attacks the momentary expression of surprise on her face suggested she had done so on accident. He did, however, have to give her credit for her determination; no matter how many times he threw her to the ground she always got back up without any hesitation.

He knew he needed to get back to work; by now the test sample he was working with should have combined properly and, so long as he did not drop this one, he should be able to study the results further. "I think that's enough for today." He said before making his way out of the storage room.

"Wait, that's it?" she said following closely behind knowing he was probably heading back to the lab.

"Yes. This may come as I surprise to you, but sometimes I have more important things to deal with than you." He said turning his attention to the vials that had been sitting out on the counter and examining the results. He began typing some of the information into the computer. Usually if he ignored her for long enough she either left or was at least quiet, but now she seemed intent on making her presence known.

"So when's my next lesson then?"

"Whenever I'm not busy."

"Great, and when do you think that will be?" She scoffed not really liking the idea that she would just have to wait around for him.

"Why does it matter? It's not like you have plans or are busy." He said in a bored tone.

"I don't know it just does!" she shouted.

"Dear heart, you're being rash. Once you've calmed down you'll realize what I am saying is the most logical plan of action." He said in a patronizing tone. As he suspected, this was met with a sigh of annoyance before she stormed out of the lab once again.

* * *

Rain was pouring down heavily as Jill and Chris made their way through the rainforest the best they could. Hacking through the dense foliage with a machete was exhausting and the rain was only making the journey worse.

Jill had reasoned there was no use trying to find Claire in the down pour and they were currently resting, using the giant roots of a nearby tree as shelter. Chris looked out at the vast rainforest loomed ahead of them. When he had looked on a map he noticed it went on for miles, and Sheva had told him the Congo was the second largest rainforest in the world. He was worried about finding Claire-two weeks with only two people was hardly enough time to properly search for a person. Especially, in such a setting as this one.

"We'll find her." Said Jill, jarring him from his thoughts.

"I don't know if I can go through this again. I can't keep losing the people I care about." He said with a sigh. "When I thought you'd…I just kept replying the night at the mansion over and over again. I thought there had to be a way I could have saved you, I could have done something."

He wasn't looking at her, but Jill could hear the pain in voice. She could tell he felt as though he had let her down, and she couldn't bear to have him feel this way. "Chris, there was nothing you could have done at the mansion. You did save me." She said putting a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know how hard it was for me to hurt you like I did and have no control over it? I could have killed you, but you believed I was stronger than that. Because of you, I was able to gain control of my life again."

"I just wish there was a way I could have done something to make sure you didn't lose it in the first place." He said with a sigh.

"If there was a way you would have figured it out. After all, that's what a knight in bullet proof armor is supposed to do, right?" She said giving him a playful nudge trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't know a single damsel in distress with the ability to do a sweep kick." He said with a bit of smile.

"Well, I suppose sometimes you have to take time out of your busy damsel saving schedule to help someone like me."

"I'd prefer a woman who can pick locks and has great accuracy with a gun to damsel in distress any day of the week." He said looking over at her.

She wasn't sure exactly what he had meant by that. The two of them had been partners and friends for years and, at times, they seemed to be more than that; however, neither one of them seemed ready to fully commit to the idea. She would hate to mess things up and have something get in the way of their partnership. She held eye contact with him for a moment before looking out into the vast forest.

"It's stopped raining." She said nodding towards the rain soaked terrain.

"Yeah, we should get going." He said heading out from between the gap in the roots. Once on the other side he reached out a hand to help her through. There would come a time when they should probably talk about where exactly they stood in their relationship, but he knew now was neither the time nor the place. Right now, his priority was to find Claire.

* * *

She hated when he was right. Once she got back to her room and fumed for a bit she not only felt better, but also felt rather childish for her outburst. After all, it was important that he finished his work because the sooner he completed the task the sooner she could leave. She decided to pass the time by reading the diary she had found.

_February 15th__1968_

_Adam came to see me today to tell me how the project has been going. We argued, all we do is argue now. When we agreed to do the project we knew we would not have direct contact with our son but that still hadn't stopped Adam from acquiring data from the results. He views all the information as progress, I view it as corruption. Sure our son is given the best possible education, healthcare, and many other benefits, but I'm beginning to think that anything Umbrella gets its hands on it destroys it._

_I've heard they are working on a new virus that is supposed to revolutionize everything. They use the stairway to sun flowers that can be found just south of here. I have no idea what they plan to do with it nor do I want to know. Sometimes I wish I had remained ignorant about what Umbrella truly was. It is something you cannot change, though. I have entered the world of Umbrella and there is no escape from that…_

Claire could understand that feeling. Although she hadn't chosen to be involved in the world of biohazards and viruses, once involved she couldn't leave. Ever since Raccoon things had been different, not many people understood what going through something like that was like. Things were even more different now that she was infected; the number of people who could understand what she was going through with that was down to one.

As she lay there on the bed contemplating this, she noticed a sound that was out of the ordinary. The shower in was running and since she was not in there that meant Wesker had actually stopped working for once. The thought of Albert Wesker doing any task that was so mundane and human just seemed strange to her. In the past, he had always been this unstoppable force of evil. Now she was beginning to realize the strange opportunity her captivity brought her: she was able to see that just like anyone else he had weaknesses-he felt pain, he slept, and did many other tasks that were very human. She was seeing a side of him she imagined very few people saw and if they had it was probably only for a brief moment.

The water stopped and she heard him moving around the bathroom. This lasted for a few minutes before she heard him coming this way. He was clad in nothing but a towel, and his hair was combed back but still wet from the shower. He did not speak to her as he opened one of the many dresser drawers in the room. She watched him, knowing he had gone to the wrong set of drawers and would find only office supply and lab coats. She had searched every nook and cranny of this room and knew where everything was.

"And you couldn't put on clothes before doing this why?" She asked once again mentally scolding herself for lingering far too long on his physique. She couldn't help the fact that the logical portion of her brain was at odds with its far less sensible side. Unfortunately, the portion that processed nice abs seemed to be working quicker than the one that was screaming the reminder that owner of said abs was pure evil.

"It seemed rather superfluous to put on clothes knowing I'm only going to take them off again moments later when I find a replacement. Also, I know there is nothing wrong with my physique, so I don't see the need to cover up because you are having a moral dilemma over finding me attractive." He said in a smug tone. As expected, this statement earned him a rather harsh glare.

It wasn't the first time he had caught her staring and this time he had decided to call her out on it. He had a feeling she would deny such an accusation. Her efforts to hate him were rather amusing especially since everyday she seemed to be trying less. Humans were social creatures and although he had been rid of the need for any form of connection with anyone, he knew Claire still felt the need to cling to this emotion. She was fighting a losing battle and he was satisfied with the thought of a Redfield failing at something.

"Not even if we were the last two people on earth." She scoffed.

"Really? Because your heart rate and pheromone level suggests otherwise." He stated in an amused tone, closing yet another drawer of office supplies.

She didn't bother to retort and instead tried a different tactic. "Try the top drawer on the left." She knew there were clothes in there, but she also knew they were not the type of style Wesker would like to wear. There were black t-shirts and pants in one of the lower drawers but she was not about to tell him that.

She watched in amusement as he pulled out a brightly colored paisley button down shirt. She had been gotten a good laugh in finding the hideous drawer of clothing; after all, the people in this facility were Umbrella rejects, so she imaged some of them had a bit of a rebellious streak in them.

He gingerly held the garish item of clothing in his hand and looked over at the redhead who was holding a book in front of her face to try and hide the fact that she was holding back laughter. Claire couldn't help but find humor in the situation. After all, the look of sheer disgust that had flashed across his face when he first saw the shirt was priceless; also it had been a long time since she had a reason to laugh about anything.

"Miss Redfield, what have I said about trying my patience?" He said in a calm tone that did not at all match the stern expression on his face. He was not wearing his sunglasses and any laughter that she had felt a moment ago vanished under the fiery glare.

"Not to." She mumbled looking away from him. His eyes made her uncomfortable; they reminded her that he wasn't human. That she could pretend all she wanted, try and ignore the change that had occurred in her, but one day she would have to come to terms with the fact that she wasn't human either.

"And, yet, you persist." He said opening the next drawer and finding clothing that was much more suitable than the monstrosity in his hand.

"I'm a Redfield, we're headstrong." She explained with a shrug.

"I'm well aware of that." He said clenching his jaw. She knew that was a sign to stop talking. She had realized over the time they had been together that she was often treading a very fine line between amusing and annoying her captor. He had a very small range of facial expressions, but she was starting to decipher some of them. Clenched jaw meant she was one wrong comment away from getting thrown across the room.

She also noticed if he called her Miss Redfield that generally meant she was leaning more towards annoyance than amusement. Dear heart generally meant he found her amusing. She didn't particularly like the pet name, but knew she really had no say in the matter. He had called her that on Rockfort and she had never understood why. While she had been pondering this Wesker had left the room, and, after getting dressed, headed back to the lab to get some more work done.

Claire decided to turn her attention back to the diary. The women who wrote it, Caroline, had mentioned something about a project that they had given their son to. At first, she could not imagine what kind of a person would use their own son as a test subject, but then she remembered this was an Umbrella employee. At least, the woman seemed to show some kind of remorse for the action. What she was more interested in was the project the woman kept alluding to. She had in all her research of Umbrella never heard of such a project. She began to skim through the diary looking for mentions of the project, but was difficult to find anything quickly.

_Not like I'm exactly short on time._ She knew that there was really no rush in recovering the information. After all, she needed something to do to pass the time between training with Wesker.

* * *

Leon S. Kennedy loved his job. But there was one aspect of it he despised-paperwork. He knew he really should have filled it out after he completed every mission rather than letting it pile up like this, but bad guys didn't have to fill out paperwork. So, while he was filling out his, he felt like somewhere, someone was unleashing another deadly virus.

The phone rang and, after searching for it under one of the piles of paper, he answered it.

"How is the paperwork going?" Asked Hunnigan.

"It's going. Though, I doubt that's why you called. What's up?" asked Leon reclining back in his chair. If Hunnigan was calling it probably meant he would be going on a mission soon, which meant paperwork could wait.

"How much do you know about Senator Williams?"

"I know he's that one that's been on TV lately yammering on about viruses and evil pharmaceutical companies. Why did his daughter get kidnapped too?" He said with a laugh.

Hunnigan did not seem to find the statement as humorous as he did and instead continued on in a businesslike manner. "No, he doesn't have any children. He wants to go to Africa to speak about the Uroboros virus and help with the relief effort. He's requested that you be part of his security detail."

"Doesn't sound too difficult." He said confidently.

"I wasn't finished: he wants to give his speech in the heart of Kijuji, and, from what I hear, they've been having some problems in that area. A few days ago, a TerraSave camp was completely destroyed."

"Yeah, that does complicate things. I'll still do it, though." Said Leon processing everything she had just said.

"I'll send you the details; you leave in a few days."

"Alright," he said before hanging up the phone. He knew an assignment like this wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't mind-it was part of his job description. Now that he had an assignment he decided that paperwork could wait, and he headed back to his apartment knowing by tomorrow there would be a detailed file of his mission on his desk.

He threw a T.V. dinner in the microwave and turned on the T.V. while waiting for it to finish. After flipping through a few crappy reality shows, he settled on the news. For the last few days all they had been talking about was Africa, and he wasn't at all surprised to find they were still on the topic. They were currently showing the destroyed TerraSave campsite. When he saw the wreckage he could think of a few things that could cause so much devastation, but he doubted any of them could have done so without getting noticed.

"BSAA officials have neither confirmed nor denied that the attack was caused by BOW's still in the area, but it is plain to see that whatever happened here was truly devastating to relief efforts here in Africa." Said the woman standing in front of the scene.

After seeing all of that he really knew this mission was not going to be an easy one. Senators like Williams who attacked big business often had enemies with connections, and these enemies generally wanted guys like Williams to keep quiet. It was bad enough he was going to have to be dealing with assassination attempts, but he would also have to be dealing with unknown BOW's.

He couldn't understand why Senator Williams was so hell bent on attacking pharmaceutical companies now. From what Leon had understood, Williams had been in the senate for years now and had certainly been in office during Las Plagas. He reasoned that this was an election year and maybe the guy just needed something to platform about. Still, his gut told him something about this whole situation wasn't right.

**Don't forget to review please. Thanks for reading. Also tiny detail but I think at one point in another chapter I made the Senator female but have decided that for the sake of the story it would be better he was male so I'm going to go back and fix that.**


	6. Games

**Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Thank you to everyone who had been reading and reviewing so far. Also thank you to my beta for getting this chapter back to me so quickly. Anyway, here is the next chapter so, enjoy.**

Wesker pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as his hearing was once again assaulted with the sound of teeth on plastic. The Redfield had a rather nasty habit of chewing on the end of pens; a normal person would not even hear the noise, but Wesker was far from normal. He stopped typing on the computer, and turned his attention to the redhead, who was currently lying on one of the un-used lab tables.

She lay on her stomach, elbows resting on a pillow she had brought in with her. She idly held a book in one hand her attention focused on it, while in her other hand she held a ballpoint pen; her latest victim as it were. It was getting to the point that any pen in the lab he grabbed was mutilated due to her habit. He continued to watch her until she stopped and looked at him with a rather guilty expression on her face.

"Sorry…" She mumbled putting the pen down next to her and shifting around a bit before settling back into a comfortable position as she continued to read. She knew her habit bothered him and she was trying her best to not get on his nerves too much-a less annoyed Wesker meant a less miserable captivity for her.

She had taken to reading in the lab now because being alone in the dormitories depressed her. Not that Wesker made her happy or anything; it was merely the fact that having someone else in the room was comforting. She had been reading for a few hours now and still hadn't really gotten anywhere on figuring out the project. A few days ago, she had a moment of eureka when she had discovered the Project was code named Project W, but other than that she had no leads.

She let out a sigh as she put the book down growing bored of her search. Before she could even ask Wesker said "I still have work to do, you're just going to have to wait."

"I wasn't going to ask if we could train now, I was actually going to ask something else." She lied not really liking the idea that she had become so predictable, nor did she enjoy how patronizing his tone could be at times.

"Oh really, now, and what was that?" he drawled turning to face her.

_Shit._ She thought realizing she hadn't even thought of anything to say. She settled for the first thing that came to mind. "Have you ever heard of some Umbrella Project? It was called Project W…"

The question had caught him off guard, but it did not show at all. Mentally, he faltered for a moment _How could she possibly know about that?_ But he quickly recovered and coolly asked. "I have. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." She said with a shrug.

"What is that you have been reading these past couple days?" He said studying the object in her hand with interest.

"Just a diary of one of the researchers here. She's mostly just complaining about her husband." She said pulling it closer to her.

"May I see it?" He asked holding out a hand for her to give him the book.

_No_, was the first thought that came to mind but she instead asked "Why?"

"I just want to see it."

Reluctantly, she handed the diary over. She didn't trust him with it, but she knew saying no was not really an option. She just sat there helplessly and watched as he flipped through some of the pages. As he did so, he got up and headed over to one of the cabinets and opened it. Inside was a rather sophisticated looking safe and before she could stop him he had opened it and locked the diary inside.

"Hey! You said you just wanted to see it." She snapped furious that he had taken away the one of the few things in this place she actually enjoyed.

"Yes, but I lied." He said returning back to his chair.

"That was the only thing I had to read. Now what the hell am I supposed to do?" She said glaring daggers at the back of his head. He opened one of the drawers next to him and pulled out a small dictionary like object and tossed it to her.

"Now you can learn Swahili." He said when she caught the book and examined it further. He turned his attention back to his work.

She slammed the book down on the table denting the surface before storming out of the room. This time, however, she didn't head back into the dorms and instead when to the storage room they were currently using as a training facility.

In the room was an empty barrel and as she delivered a swift kick to it she let out a yell of frustration. The barrel went flying across the room and landed with a resounding thud.

* * *

So far, Leon's assignment had been surprisingly easy. Senator Williams seemed like a top notch guy, and just what this country needed; he actually seemed to believe what he was talking about. Senator Williams had a friendly smile and a firm hand shake. His dark brown hair with stands of grey was neat and tidy. He knew everyone on the staff and greeted each of them equally with real warmth.

His wife, on the other hand, made Leon uncomfortable. There was something about her that just didn't seem right. It was a gut feeling really as he had no evidence to back it up, but there was something about the way she looked at everyone. He couldn't understand why he felt like this; she looked like any other politician's wife. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tidy bun. She wore a blue skirt and suit jacket that matched her icy blues eyes. He decided it was her eyes that bothered him although she smiled quite often the expression never seemed to reach those cold unfeeling eyes.

He had been standing at his post listening to the Senator give another one of his speeches when he saw something that concerned him, a splash of red hiding in the shadow of the crowd.

"Friend of yours?" Asked a voice behind him causing him to jump a bit in surprise.

"On a good day." He responded turning to face Mrs. Williams; he didn't understand how she could be so quiet. "Is it okay if I leave my post for a second?"

"I think he'll be okay." She said looking over at her husband. Leon just nodded before heading towards the woman in red.

As he approached, she moved further into a nearby alleyway and he followed- all the while feeling like he was walking into a trap. He found her at the end of the alleyway leaning casually against a wall.

"What are you doing here, Ada?" He asked tensed and ready for an attack.

"Relax." She purred. "I was just getting some files and thought I would see what all the commotion was about."

"Sorry if I find that hard to believe that you just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop by." He scoffed.

"It is interesting, though." She mused looking over at where the Senator was giving his speech.

"What?"

"Just watch yourself around them." She said nodding towards the Senator.

"Wait, why?" He said looking confused.

"Sorry, got a plane to catch." She said before pulling out a grappling gun and shooting it at the nearby building. "See ya around."

"Ada!" he yelled after her, not really expecting a response but trying anyways. "I hate it when she does that." He mumbled before leaving the alleyway. Still her statement had gotten to him. _What was interesting about the Senator? Could she be suggesting there was something wrong with the guy?_ He couldn't know for sure but what he did know is that if Ada was here something was bound to happen.

* * *

They were halfway through the second week and still no closer to even finding evidence that Claire was in the Congo. It was like she and Wesker had just vanished into thin air and Chris was beginning to lose hope in finding her.

He had a feeling Wesker would keep her alive, and use her as bait against him. This meant that they would find Claire eventually but only when the Tyrant wanted them to. He just hoped Claire was being smart, he knew she had a bit of a temper, and he knew how much Wesker hated back talk.

The thought of Wesker hurting her caused a great amount of anger to rise up inside of him. A clap of thunder could be heard in the distance and not a moment later it began to pour down rain again. "You've got to be kidding me!" He shouted up at the heavens.

"Come on let's go." Said Jill gently dragging him over to a tree they could rest under and be sheltered from the rain.

"What happens if we don't find her?" He asked looking over at his partner.

"Chris, we will find her." She said trying to reassure him.

"Yeah, but we aren't going to find her soon are we?"

She let out a sigh. "No, I don't think we are."

"Jill, I haven't asked because I figured you'd tell me when you were ready, but now he has Claire and you're the only one who can really tell me what she's up against."

"I was a test subject; it will be different for her." She said crossing her arms, a hand resting on her scar. "I'm sorry Chris, this is all my fault."

"Jill, what are you talking about?"

"He used antibodies in my blood to make Uroboros, without me none of this could have happened." She said with a sigh. She had to admit, though, it felt good to finally voice these doubts. She felt even better when strong arms embraced her.

"The only one to blame for any of this is Wesker."

* * *

She had reduced the barrel to scrap metal all the while thinking why he had felt the need to take the diary away from her. One conclusion she came to was that he was a horrible person and in an effort to make others suffer he had taken away one of the few things that made her happy here. Although this idea was likely, she had a feeling it was more than that.

He had only starting caring about what she read when she mentioned Project W. There was something about that Project he did not want her to know, and she was unsure of the reason why. But she did know that for some reason Project W was important to him and she had a feeling he was personally connected to it.

She noticed the coppery smell of blood and looked down at her hands to see bits of metal lodged in her knuckles that were preventing her wounds from healing. She had been so deep in thought she hadn't even noticed it till now. She almost wished she hadn't because now she felt a sharp pain in her hand. She knew there were some tools in the lab she could probably use to pull them out and she reluctantly headed there to do so.

He was still sitting by the computer when she entered the lab, but instead of ignoring her like he usually did he turned to face her. He watched with interest as she headed over to and opened one of the drawers pulling out a first aid kit. He let her struggle trying to pry out the metal lodged in her hands with tweezers before trying to turn his attention back to his work.

Most of the metal was stuck in her right hand meaning she was trying to use her less dexterous hand to remove the metal. Her hand hurt something awful, the wound would somewhat heal, but then any time she moved it torn back open again and the pain returned. She was bleeding all over the lab table and she knew one way she could solve this problem: she could ask Wesker for help. She couldn't bring herself to actually ask him, so she opted for trying to get his attention instead.

"Are you seriously just going to let me stand here and bleed to death?" she scoffed.

"It would take a few more hours before you even reach a state close to bleeding to death." He stated watching her continue to struggle. "Even if you did, I highly doubt you would stay that way for very long. If you want my help you could just asked nicely." He wasn't one to offer help to anyone unless it benefited him and the thought any of the Redfields having to give in and admit they needed his help was rather satisfying.

"I don't need your help."

"Well then, enjoy dying again." He said the corner of his lip upturning slightly. They had been playing this game quite often. The younger Redfield had spirit and her futile attempts at defiance were rather amusing, after all in the end he always won the game.

Claire let out a sigh of defeat when she saw the smug expression on his face. It was the closest he ever got to smiling and was an expression she hated because it meant he knew he had won their little battle of wills. She really didn't want to die again. She remembered what it was like the first time, and, although, it had been relatively painless the vast nothingness that followed before she awoke again frightened her. She had liked to think death would involve some kind of idea of heaven or an afterlife, but it was nothing like that at all.

"Alright." She said rolling her eyes and holding out her injured hand.

He just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to clarify the situation. He was going to make her say it. "Alright, what?"

"Will you please, just, help me?" She snapped glaring over at him.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." He said voice dripping with sarcasm but he still walked over to where she stood. She tried to hand him the tweezers but he declined them.

"At least, I said please." She said watching as he examined her hand. She winced when he pushed her hand into a fist causing wound to open again.

"And what a prime example of fine etiquette you are." He said before grabbing onto a chunk of metal and ripping it out quickly. It hurt like hell and a string of curse words escaped her lips. She realized there were still a few pieces left which meant there was even more pain to follow.

When he had finished the task he looked at her hand noticing everything had healed. Satisfied that he had removed everything, he released her hand and headed back over towards the computer. He paused before starting to work again and turned to face her. "Next time you're throwing a temper tantrum it would be in your best interest not to become so injured that you must interrupt my work."

"You do realize that I'm not going to stop looking into Project W even though you took the diary right?" she said crossing her arms.

"Be my guest, I doubt you'll find anything on it." He didn't even look away from his work and his dismissive tone suggested he didn't expect her to be successful.

"I wouldn't be so sure, I'm a Redfield." She said with a confident smirk. She had a feeling the comment would get his attention, since her brother had gotten in the way of his plans time and time again.

He did in fact stop working and turn to face her. Her small victory was quickly squashed when he quipped "Yes, but unlike your brother you haven't really gotten in the way of my plans. You do make rather good bait though."

"I know Project W has something to do with you." She said resolutely. It was a bluff, she could only speculate that he was involved and had no actual proof but Project W seemed one of the few things that actually caught him off guard.

"And why do you say that?" He said looking intrigued at the statement, but she also noticed he seemed more tense than usual. His jaw was clenched and she noticed that his hands which usually rested calmly on the armrests were balled into fists. She knew she was walking on thin ice but she felt compelled to continue.

"All you care about is yourself, and if it were just any old Umbrella reject project you wouldn't care about me reading it. But if it had something to do with you, well then, I might learn something about you that you didn't want me to know." She had taken and step closer to him going on the offensive for once. She wanted to make him angry. Rage makes people do stupid things and if she could break his cool and collected demeanor so could find out just how important Project W was to him.

His eyes flashed behind the shades but didn't take the bait. "Unfortunately for you, Ms. Redfield, there is no way you are getting into that safe without me knowing- so I guess we will never know." He said before turning his attention back to his work.

"I guess." She said with a shrug before heading off to go and take a shower. She may have lost this battle but she was determined to win the war.

Usually when she left he was actually able to get more work done, but at the moment he was distracted. She may have dropped the subject for now, but he knew how Redfields were. Redfields liked to meddle and once they set their mind to something they would not quit until the job was done.

It was for this reason that Chris had been one of his best men. Claire had her brother's determination, but she was better than him in many ways. For one thing, her intellect was far superior to her brother's-not that this was a very lofty achievement. Although effective at his job, he always was rather slow on the uptake. Claire, on the other hand, was quicker than he had expected and opportunistic as well. Although he was learning about her new found power from her blood and there training lessons, she was learning about him as well.

He didn't think he would be able to let her go after he stabilized himself. She was beginning to learn too much and he couldn't have her telling Chris vital information. The simplest course of action would be to dispose of her, but it seemed such a waste to do so. If she weren't so stubborn she could be quite useful to him. Above all else, Redfields were loyal and currently her loyalty was with her brother. If he could find some way to make her loyal to him she could be a rather valuable asset-not to mention the crushing betrayal Chris would feel.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard a familiar voice yell something from up above._Speak of the devil._ He thought when he realized who the voice belonged to. The elder Redfield was obviously looking for his younger sister and he wished he could go down to the basement to look at the security tape feed to enjoy watching the former STARS member suffer. However, if he had heard the voice he imagined Claire had as well, and might try to do something stupid.

He could hear the water in the shower still running, but when he walked out of the lab he found the redhead slinking down the hallway. Her hair was not up in its usually ponytail and was soaking wet with bits of suds still in it, and he could tell by the disheveled nature of her appearance that she had dressed hastily.

"And just where do you think you are going, dear heart?" He asked with in an amused tone. The fact that she thought she would be able to sneak past him was laughable.

"Nowhere." She said with a sigh. She knew the sneaking had been a long shot but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. "You know when he finds you he's going to kick your ass, right?"

He was about to retort when he felt pain course through his veins. They had not been around a living person for quite some time and, apart from the seizures, Uroboros remained rather dormant. But now, it could sense prey nearby and it wanted to act. He fell to his knees in pain and slammed his fist into the ground cursing his lack of control. If he didn't get a hold of himself this could be a repeat of the TerraSave camp.

While this had been happening, Claire just stood there. She had gotten used to the seizures and knew it was best if she just ignored them, but this one was different. It reminded her of the one he had in the camp right before Uroboros had attacked her. _Back when I was still human._ She bitterly thought. If he lost control of himself this could be a problem. She doubted that Chris would be prepared to fight whatever mutation would occur if Uroboros took over. She had seen what the TerraSave camp had looked like.

She approached him with caution and said tentatively "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He didn't answer and let out a yell of pain as a particularly violent convolution overtook him. So she tried a different approach and knelt down beside him. In a firm tone she said "Either you need to fight this or tell me if there is something kind of serum or something." She knew he had been working for quite some time now and might have something to at least help stabilize him.

He slammed his fist down into the floor again causing it to crack. "In the safe." He ground out through clenched teeth. "27, 40, 19."

"Okay, I'll be right back." She said putting a hand on his shoulder before getting up. Even though she knew he would hardly try and reassure her if their roles were switched, she was on autopilot and treating the situation like she would something at TerraSave.

She quickly made her way to the safe, turning the dial to the right combination and opening it quickly, inside was a few syringes with a reddish liquid in them. They were unmarked so she just grabbed one hoping it was the right one. As she turned to leave, her eyes fell on the diary and she hesitated for a moment. She heard him cry out in pain again and knew she didn't have much time.

The grabbed the diary flipped to a random section and ripped out some pages tucking them into her bra before heading towards him. She held the syringe as she knelt down beside him and said "God damn it, you'd better not mutant on me." Before jabbing the needle into his neck and injecting the liquid.

She sat leaning against the wall as she watched and waiting for him to recover. His was still hunched over, but his breathing was slowly returning to normal. After a moment, he recovered enough to sit up and ran a hand through his hair to smooth back any unkempt pieces. He didn't get up, but instead sat against the wall opposite to her and asked "Why didn't you try and make a run for it?"

The question had caught her off guard, mostly because the thought hadn't even crossed her mind during the whole situation. She could have easily gotten away while he was incapacitated. She reasoned that if he did mutate he would have come after her and her brother, they hardly had the resources to fight him off, and even thought she hated him she couldn't just leave him lying there in pain. _Maybe he's right; I do care far too much about other people for my own good._ She realized she still hadn't answered the question yet.

"I still have a few lessons to get in before I can try that." She said with a bitter laugh, realizing how true this was; anytime she tried to run she moved so fast she got disoriented.

"I suppose that's true. Now hand it over." He said holding out a hand.

"Hand what over?" She said having a feeling he meant the diary.

"The diary, Ms. Redfield. I know you have it so don't play coy with me. You can either hand it over or I will find where you hid it on your person myself."

"Hey! There will be no searching of my person, especially by you. The diary's in the safe, you can go check it if you don't believe me." She snapped glaring over at him. "Oh, and you're welcome, by the way. What was that stuff anyways?"

"To put it simply, something I derived from your blood." He said with a sigh. His body ached and he had a bit of a headache. On the bright side, he had at least learned that the serum worked. The effects of this one he imagined were only temporary relief. Normally, he would have liked to run more tests on something before injecting it, but desperate times and all.

"That means you have Redfield blood in you." She said with a smirk.

"That would explain the sudden impulse I have to foil all of my own plans and attempt to grow biceps bigger than my own head." He said dryly.

Despite herself she let out a bit of a laugh at the comment. "You really must not be feeling well if you're making jokes."

"I've had worse days." He said still not getting up from where he sat. The struggle had drained him greatly and he thought he might stumble if he tried to stand. He refused to appear weak in front of the redhead.

She stood first and headed back into the bathroom to brush her hair which had nearly dried by now. She could still feel the adrenaline rush from earlier coursing through her veins. She looked in the mirror and nearly dropped the brush. Her reflection contained everything that was the same old Claire Redfield before she died but now reddish, gold catlike eyes stared back at her.

They were not harsh and cold like Wesker's were, and she noticed as she stared at them they were already returning back to a deep blue. It was for this reason that she had been almost glad that Chris didn't find her. She could no longer hear him above them and imagined he had moved on by now. She was afraid of letting him know she was infected. The sensible side of her knew he would still love her no matter what, but part of her was fearful he would reject her and treat her like he did anything else related to bioterrorism.

She decided not to ponder this any further and pushed it aside knowing these fears were irrational; she and her brother were far too close for something like this to get in the way of their relationship. She instead tired to think of a place to hide the diary pages she had ripped out. She knew if she stared reading in the dorm again he might get suspicious about what she was reading so hiding it there seemed out of the question.

The only place he really never bothered her was here in the bathroom, and if she read a few pages here and there before taking a shower he would merely think she was taking a longer shower. In the bathroom there was a small janitorial closet with extra soap and toilet paper. She opened the door to it and found a soap box further to the back and stuck the pages inside there. She just hoped she had grabbed pages that were at least useful to her. However, she wouldn't have time read them now.

After she got ready, she headed back into the lab to find Wesker was already back at work again. She lay back down on the lab table and grabbed the Swahili to English dictionary. She began to idly flip through it, not really interested in learning anything useful. The clicking of the keys on the keyboard was interrupted by Wesker letting out an annoyed sigh. She looked over to see him tossing aside a pen that was chewed on the end before searching for a new one. She found herself thinking _well at least things are back to normal._ Part of her felt as though she should not be finding any of this normal, but she needed to deal with this somehow and a routine as strange as it was seemed the best course of action.

**Well there you have it. Don't forget to review please.**


	7. Give and Take

**Thanks to everyone who had reviewed so far. I'm glad people are liking the story. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

For the next few days she could not stop thinking about Project W. Obviously it was important to Wesker, and she knew he was involved in it- she just didn't know how At first, she thought he might have been a researcher on the Project or something like that, but, after thinking about it further, it didn't make much sense. She knew he was older than her brother, but she just wasn't sure exactly how much older. She was pretty sure he didn't look old enough to be doing research in 1968.

She wasn't even reading the book she held in front of her, but was instead looking over at the man working on his computer. All the years her brother had worked with him on STARS and then later all those years they spend fighting one another, and Claire realized just how little any of them knew about him. When she had first starting reading the pages she had torn out she thought they were useless. That was until she found the page. One paragraph had turned everything on its head.

_July 1970_

_Adam has just given me word that my son is dead. I always thought such a project could not be successful. Derek didn't seem like the type of child who would have thrived in such an environment. From what I remember of him as a child he was kind…I should have never let him be a part of any of this. Ozwell Spencer is a madman and he is trying to shape the Wesker children into the perfect protégées. Trying to create a new race of humans using the progenitor virus…it seems foolish to me; especially, since most people die from exposure. I should know-I used to be a researcher for the virus, until they sent me here anyway…Adam told me there are only a few of the others left. He said Alex sees promise in one boy in particular, whoever Albert is, I hope for his sake he meets the same fate as my son. No good can come out of any of this…_

She didn't have any more pages after that nor did she want to have any. Albert Wesker had been a test subject. The revelation seemed so strange to her-she couldn't quiet wrap her mind around it. He must have not known for quite some time because she could hardly see anyone, even Wesker, working for a company that had used him in such a way. She wondered what happened to the other children. She also tried to imagine what he had been like as a child before Umbrella had gotten to him.

Part of her wished she had never found out about Project W, because now she didn't know what to do. She figured she could use this information to gain the upper hand in an argument. But she didn't like the idea very much because, even though Wesker was a horrible person, she felt bad using that against him.

She noticed him get up and open the safe to put some vitals inside. So far, he hadn't seemed to notice pages missing from the diary, but she assumed when he found out the outcome would not be good. His outbursts usually resulted in a great deal of pain for her, if she didn't heal so quickly by now she would be nursing some broken ribs. He paused for a moment before shutting the safe door.

"I do think it's time for another lesson." His said his expression unreadable. She let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. It seemed as though she was in the clear, but something about the situation made her nervous. They had already trained a few hours ago and, usually, they didn't have more than one training session during the day. Still, she followed him over to the storeroom where they trained. The storeroom like the rest of the base was a dull grey color and was a relatively large space once they had moved all the supplies into a nearby hallway.

"So, what are we going to learn about now?" She said with interest. They stood in the middle of the storeroom facing one another and she had already started to brace herself for an attack. Usually during their training sessions, they practiced fighting techniques, and Wesker often liked to demonstrate what she was going to learn on her before actually telling her what it was.

Instead of a verbal answer, she was sent flying across the room from a swift kick to just below her ribcage. She barely had time to gasp for air as she got up. Wesker was already right in front of her, and she let out a cry of pain as her grabbed her shoulder and squeezed. She heard a loud crunch followed by more intense pain.

"That bone I just broke was your clavicle, Ms. Redfield." He explained in a calm tone. "It's one of the numerous pressure points on the body know to cause extreme amounts of pain."

The pain he had just mention subsided as the bone healed, but when he finished his explanation he broke it again resulting in her yelling out in pain once again. She was in so much pain she hadn't even realized she had fallen to her knees until he leaned down to speak to her.

"I must say, I underestimated you, and it is a mistake I will not be making again. Now, where are the pages you took from the diary?" His was so close to her she could feel his breath near her ear when he spoke. Although he sounded cool and collected, she could hear his heart pounding rapidly and knew he was holding back a great deal of rage.

"They're in the bathroom supply closet." She said through gritted teeth as he began to apply pressure to the bone once more. This time it was not enough to break it, but painful all the same.

"I realize you've become empowered by the notion that I cannot kill you, but that doesn't mean you are by any means safe. You may be able to heal quickly, but you are not above pain. Pull something like that again, and I will make your existence so torturous that you will wish you could die." He tone was calm but there was a biting undertone that clearly expressed that his threat was not at all empty. He shoved her to the ground again before getting up and starting to walk away.

She knew the smart thing to do would have been to just let him walk away, but she couldn't stop herself from saying something. "They shouldn't have done what they did to you."

He paused and turned to face her. His jaw was clenched, but his head was tilled slightly to the side suggesting that although he was angry with her was intrigued enough by what she had said to not harm her, yet.

"I read the pages, and while they didn't tell me much, I know Umbrella used you and the other Wesker Children. They were trying to build a new race of humans..." She sat up slowly and braced herself for the inevitable pain that was to follow.

"All that matters is in the end Umbrella fell and I still stand." He growled still not moving from the spot where he stood. He felt hatred rise up inside of him as she looked at him. He saw two emotions in her eyes: fear and pity. The fear was something he was familiar with, but the pity made him uncomfortable.

He had power. He was a god. He was not someone to be pitied. He decided to strengthen the fear as he said "I hope you enjoy the thought of a windowless lab because that is all you will be seeing for the rest of your life."

"That wasn't part of our deal. You said you'd let me go after you were stabilized." She said glaring over at him.

"You weren't supposed to find out what you did. I warned you not to meddle." He said darkly before starting to head towards the door.

"You know, if I'd found out that the company I had once worked for manipulated me in such a way, I think I would have tried to be the exact opposite of what they had wanted me to be. You seem to have just done exactly what they wanted." She wasn't trying to anger him further but merely stating what she had been thinking.

His response was to slam the door to the storage room behind him. She heard the bending of metal and knew he must have jammed something in the door to make it so she could not open it from the inside. Now all she could do was wait until he returned.

* * *

It was time to return stateside. Chris and Jill had headed out of the Congo and back to where the BSAA had set up camp. They found that most of the people in the camp had congregated around a man who was shaking hands with many of the officials.

Chris found Sheva in the crowd and approached her. "What's going on?"

"Some Senator is here thanking us for our efforts. He's been around for about a week now." She said looking over at her partner with concern. "You didn't find her?"

"No. I'm going to try and get as much information as I can. But Wesker's the type if he doesn't want to be found its going to be nearly impossible to do so." He had come to accept this notion and knew it was the best course of action, even though was wasn't too keen on the idea.

"I'm sorry." Said Sheva.

Before Chris could respond he noticed a familiar face and said with a friendly smile. "What the hell brings you all the way out here Kennedy?"

"I could ask you the same question Redfield." Said Kennedy with a laugh as Chris patted him on the back. "I'm on Senator Williams Security Detail."

"Shouldn't you be watching him then?" Joked Chris.

"Please, he's surround by BSAA Agents. I think he's fine." Said Leon with a wave of his hand. "Oh by the way, how's that sister of yours?"

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask about Claire." Said Chris with a sigh. Leon could already tell by the expression on his face that the news was not good.

"What happened?" he asked looking apprehensive.

"She was at the TerraSave camp, the one that got attacked. We think she was kidnapped by Wesker and that they are hiding somewhere in the Congo. We just spent the last two weeks combing through that hellhole and came up empty handed. Now we're on our way to the airport to head back to the States." He stated in a bitter tone. He really wanted to punch something right now to release some of the frustration he felt from the whole situation. He opted for cracking his knuckles instead.

"Your sister spent months searching the globe looking for you, and you're giving up after two weeks?" Yelled Leon taking a step forward. His fists were clenched and his shoulders were tense. He looked as though he wanted to clock Chris in the jaw, but was holding back since he was technically on duty.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Leon." Chris growled standing in a similar stance glaring over at his friend. The two looked ready to fight and Chris only started to back down when Jill stepped in front of him putting a hand on his chest gently pushing his back to create distance between the two men. She then turned her attention to Leon.

"Hey, don't you dare talk to him like that! We've combed that forest the best we can with only two people. He hasn't given up- we just know we need more information if we're going to have any hope of finding her." She yelled standing in front of Chris in a protective manner.

The Senator, who had been making his way through the crowd, turned his attention towards the group after Jill's outburst. "Is there a problem over here I should be worried about, Leon?" He asked looking over at the agent.

"No, sir," said Leon calmly. He knew Chris was doing the best he could, he just wished Chris had let him know Claire was missing so he could have helped sooner.

"You're Chris Redfield aren't you?" asked the Senator looking at him with interest.

"Yeah…," said Chris looking at the man with suspicion.

"I make it a habit of investigating all the people I'm supposed to meet. I'm sorry a family matter came up and I was unable to give you your award," said the Senator as he flashed a wide smile and shook Chris's hand.

"That's alright, Senator. I've never been big on award ceremonies anyway," said Chris.

"From what I read in my research, it sounds like you deserve a lot of them. I also heard that your sister was involved in the tragedy that occurred her a few weeks back," said the Senator looking sympathetic.

"That's correct, sir." His said brow furrowed in confusion.

"I have a friend, he usually does black ops work, but I'm gonna see if he's free or if he knows someone who may be able to help you find her."

"That would be much appreciated," said Chris. He turned his attention to Leon after the Senator shook Jill and Sheva's hands before moving on to the next group of people. "Is he seriously going to do that?"

"Honestly, the guy's a saint. He gave everyone in the nearby village food and water, and he's sending a team in to build them all new houses. Still…" said Leon glancing over at the smiling Senator.

"Sounds too good to be true." Said Jill looking over at the man suspiciously.

"Yeah." Chris agreed also looking over at him. He was starting to think that perhaps the life he led had just made him paranoid. This guy was offering to help him find Claire, and, yet, there was something about how friendly he was that made him suspicious.

"Exactly, and there was something Ada said too…"

"Wait, Ada she's that woman he works for Wesker right?" Said Chris with interest.

"Yeah, she said I should be careful around them." Ada might know something about where Claire is, but he doubted that Ada would tell him anything he needed to know. He also had no idea when he would run into her again. Still, it was worth a try.

"Them?" Said Chris his brow furrowed as he processed the information.

"If you think there's something off about him, wait till you meet his wife." Scoffed Leon.

"I don't think we're going to have that luxury. Our plane leaves in an hour. I think I'm going to go freshen up." Said Jill looking down at her disheveled appearance. She had accumulated quite a lot of dirt and grime after being in the jungle for the past few weeks.

"Okay." Said Chris watching her leave before turning his attention back to Leon who was looking at him with interest.

"So, what exactly is the deal with you two?" He inquired with a smirk.

"We're partners." He replied quickly, going with the answer that was the easiest.

"Yeah, I figured that out when she looked about ready to kick my ass a few minutes ago. I meant like, well you know." He said one hand rubbing the back of his neck while the other gestured for Chris to elaborate on the subject.

"Well we're friends, I think. I don't know. I mean sometimes... I have no idea." Said Chris attempting to define exactly what was going on between him and Jill and failing miserably. The timing was never right with the two of them. Every time he summoned up the courage to confront her on the issue something happened that always pushed the issue into the background. Last time he had thought she died and this time Claire had gone missing.

"They would be much happier if the two of them just admitted they loved each other." Said Sheva who had been standing there listening to the conversation. Back when she and Chris were partners she had seen the way he looked at Jill and the amount of concern he had over her during their fight. She didn't know what was holding them back.

Chris was about to respond when Jill came over carrying her bags. She didn't look as though she had showered. "I looked at the tickets wrong: the plane leaves in 20 minutes, we should get to the airport."

"Alright." Said Chris nodding and turning his attention over to Sheva and Leon. "Nice see you again."

"Yeah, wish the circumstances were better. I'll see what kind of information I can acquire on Claire." Said Leon.

"Thanks."

"Chris, you going to think about what I said?" Sheva inquired as she looked over at her former partner.

"I will." He said knowing that she was right; he couldn't keep putting this off till later. They all said their goodbyes before Chris and Jill stated to make their way over to the airport. As they were walking to the jeep, Jill asked "So, what did you guys talk about while I was gone?"

"Nothing much, just catching up mostly." He said rubbing the back of his neck. Jill knew that meant he was nervous about something. She didn't know why, but decided not to press the matter if he wasn't telling her something it was probably because he didn't want her to worry. She knew he always told her eventually and she was fine with that for now.

* * *

Wesker headed back into the lab and slammed his fist down causing the metal lab table to dent. He had told her not to meddle and she had not headed his warning. _Why couldn't she have just left it alone?_

He knew he would have to deal with her eventually; as much as he would have enjoyed just leaving her in the storage room, it would be a waste of a valuable resource that was the virus in her bloodstream. Although he had thought she might try and look into Project W, he had not expected her to actually find anything on the subject. He had underestimated just how much she had wanted to know about the Project.

He wasn't sure how much she knew about Project W, so he decided to head into the bathroom supply closet and find the pages that she had took. After knocking over a few of the supplies, he found where they were hidden and took the pages back to the lab with him to read them. He sat down in the lab chair and poured over the missing pages.

From what he gathered she didn't know much at all about Project W. The woman who the diary had belonged to hardly knew anything, only snippets of information she had heard from her husband who had acquired the information from someone else. It could hardly be considered reliable. Still, it was information he had not wanted her to know. He remembered the look of pity on her face and how much it had bothered him. The notion that someone could pity him was a new concept, and it was an emotion he did not know how to exploit.

He knew the only way he could figure out how to use this to his advantage would be to confront it. He decided he would try and get some work done first. He had almost created enough serum to last him a long trip. The serum lasted about an hour before he would once again become unstable. If he created enough, he would be able travel back to the states to get to his own personal lab where he could actually get some real research done. The computer he was currently using was so obsolete it was trying his patience.

After working for a few hours, he had calmed down enough that he felt he could deal with the infuriating redhead without losing control. He went back over to the storeroom and unbent the door handle so he could open it once more. When he opened the door, he found her sitting in the center of the room looking at the floor. She looked up at him when he entered the room and he noticed her tense when he entered.

He looked into her eyes and saw the fear and pity once again. He had half a mind to just turn around, slam the door again and just leave her there. Although that would have been the easier course of action, he pushed down this feeling of rash anger and rationalized the situation. He had already spent a great deal of time and effort in training her, giving up now would be a waste of such efforts and he could not afford that. They were both frozen in place staring at one another, each trying to gauge the other's reaction.

Rather than say anything, he just turned and left but he did not close the door behind him. He had expected her to follow him, but when he did not hear her footsteps as he proceeded down the hall he called back to her "Don't make me change my mind, Ms. Redfield."

He paused for a moment, and waited until he heard the sounds of her moving about the room before heading back to the lab.

By the time she got to the lab, he was already back at his computer working. She noticed the lab table she usually laid on had a fist sized dent in it. She was about to leave the lab and go and get the pages she had stolen from the bathroom supply closet when he spoke.

"I've already acquired them." He drawled not looking up from his work, but speaking to her all the same.

"Oh." She said heading back over to the lab table and sitting down. She picked up the book she had been reading and flipped through a few pages trying to focus on the words in front of her, but her mind kept going back to the new information she had discovered and how different it made things. She knew it would be better if she just kept quiet, but she felt compelled to speak all the same. "When did you find out about it?"

The clicking of the keyboard came to a halt as he turned to face her. His expression gave away nothing, and even though he did not show any signs of being angry she mumbled "Sorry, I was just curious."

"That's a dangerous thing to be, dear heart." He said looking at her with interest. He was intrigued that she wasn't being defiant, and there were no outburst or snide comments being exchanged between the two of them.

Now that he had gotten over the initial anger that came with her discovery of Project W, he was beginning to understand the opportunity this presented. He reasoned that she was someone who needed to connect with other people and build relationships through shared experiences and common interests. Earlier the only thing they had in common was that they were both infected, but this had been merely a physical trait. Project W had added complexity to the situation, giving them something else in common. Umbrella had a hand in significantly shaping both of their lives.

She took his silence to mean that he was done speaking on the subject, but the fact that he just sat there studying her made her uncomfortable. She did not have the capability to speculate what when on in his twisted mind. _A mind that was warped by Umbrella_, she reminded herself. She found her mind wandering to just how different both of their lives might have been had it not been for that company.

His voiced jarred her from these thoughts. "I discovered this information about a year ago." She looked surprised that he had answered the question. "Spencer told me of his plans for the Wesker Children and how all of them, but myself, had vanished. Naturally, I didn't take the news well and disposed of him."

"Good." She said bitterly, accidently speaking a thought out loud.

"Good?" He said brow furrowed in confusion.

"I said that out loud?"

"Unless I've suddenly acquired the ability to read minds," he said in a bored tone.

"I just meant that Spencer's a madman, and the world is probably better off without him." She said with a shrug. He just nodded his head before turning back to his work once again. Barely a minute passed before he was interrupted by her once again. "My parents died in a car crash when I was seven. Chris and I were in foster care until Chris was old enough to take care of me himself…"

He stopped her by saying "Is there a point to this story?"

"Well, I know about your childhood and now you know about mine. It's a fair trade." She shrugged before turning her attention back to her book. She knew he really didn't give a damn about her childhood, but she felt bad that she had discovered something so personal about him. Now that she had done the same, she felt that they were on even terms again: balance had been restored.

She was glad his lack of caring meant he would not inquire further into the subject; she didn't like talking about her childhood all that much. It wasn't all that bad or anything. Most of the foster care parents had been pretty nice, and she and Chris were always together. He was the only family she had, and they had been through a lot together. Thinking about Chris made her homesick. She pushed these feelings away and decided to get up to take a shower which would help clear her mind.

"Where are you going?" He said looking at her with suspicion.

"To take a shower. Why is that not allowed now?" she said glaring over at him. He was almost thankful to be met with the familiar fire in her eyes. He knew how to deal with her when she was like this.

"Just don't try anything, or there will be consequences." He warned before turning back to his work. He heard her leave the room, and a little while later the water started to run. Gaining her loyalty he realized was going to be more difficult than anticipated.

He was beginning to realize that such a relationship required a certain amount of trust he was not willing to give. He had been pulled in that direction, however, by her discovery of Project W and she unknowingly had as well. She had actually agreed with his decision to dispose of Spencer, which proved that it was possible for her to see things his way. _Yes._ He thought to himself. _There was something to gain from this unusual situation._

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	8. Traveling

**Okay I tried to make the shifts between what is going on with Wesker/Claire or Chris/Jill more clear for some reason sometimes when I transfer this to fanfiction it doesn't format properly. Anyways here is another chapter, hope you enjoy.**

She had decided to start training on her own sometimes rather than always waiting around for Wesker to be free to help her. Lately, she had been thinking a lot about Wesker. After getting a bit of information on his past, she found herself trying to fill in the gaps to figure out how he became the cold hearted bastard he was today.

Right now, however, she was focusing on her training, and was attempting to master dashing. Most of the time when she went to run she moved so fast she got disoriented, on the rare occasion she actually managed to end up in the spot she was aiming for, sheer luck was the only thing she could attribute to doing so.

It was frustrating to say the least. With her new abilities she would probably be the only person she knew who could go fist-to-cuff against the tyrant and have a high chance of winning. She had only beaten him once or twice during their training, and even those the victories were short lived, since when he got up he did a spin kick that knocked her to the ground.

She had discovered that she was faster than him, but, as a trade-off, he was much stronger. Also, despite the seizures, he was much more in control of his mutation than she was. Then again this was Wesker, and he had to be in control of everything, she reasoned.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, she headed back into the lab planning to walk right through to the shower, but instead stopped when she noticed he was not at his desk working like he usually was. He was instead carefully moving vials of serum into an attaché case.

"Throwing in the towel already." He said the corner of his mouth upturned. He had been listening to her fail for the past few hours, and it had put him in a good mood.

"Bite me." She snapped glaring over at him. He knew exactly what snide comment would make her blood boil and it got on her nerves. "Are we going somewhere?" She inquired thinking there must be some reason that he was taking the serum out of the safe.

"Yes. There is a town not far from here." He stated not looking up from his work. When he did not hear her leave the room, he paused and looked over at her. She was just standing there, her brow knitted as she bit her lip trying to hold back a comment. "What?" He barked.

"Nothing…I guess… it's just …" She said trying to find the best way to voice her concern for the situation without angering him. She was worried that being around so many people who were not infected he might have another loss of control. "Are you going to be okay to travel?"

His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed behind the shades but he calmly replied "What do you think I've been working on these past few weeks?"

"I thought I was too dumb to understand any of your research." She scoffed, whenever he talked about his work he was very condescending about it. "But if I had to guess in laymen's terms it would be something to help stabilize you."

"That is what the serum is for." He snidely remarked.

"How often do you need it?" she asked looking at the vials with interest.

"It's none of your concern." He stated finally, comprehending the emotion she had displayed. Although he did not like her questioning his plans, he was intrigued by the fact that she seemed to be worried about his well-being.

"But what if something goes wrong and you're on a rampage or something? If I'm stuck with you, the least you can do is give me enough information to deal with an emergency." She said trying to reason with him.

"Dear heart, you should be more worried about keeping yourself under control rather than me." He said in a bored tone focusing on the task at hand.

"But I'm fine. You said I'm stable."

"Yes, you're perfectly stable, but you still haven't gotten used to your abilities. The environment you are currently in is rather controlled, while out there you will probably be overwhelmed." He explained. She realized he was right. She had gotten used to everything around her here. In fact, she actually felt normal. The hum of the generator, clicking of keyboard keys, the smell of soap and cologne had all become so familiar to her. In the outside world there would be an onslaught of new smells and sounds.

"Well yeah but won't that be happening to you too?" She asked biting her lip once again.

"I have everything under control." He said finality his tone suggesting it was no longer a topic for decision.

"Fine. Whatever. I don't really care." She snapped crossing her arms.

"I think you and I both know that's not possible for you." He stated a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Don't flatter yourself. I admit I do care about a lot of people, but you're hardly one of them." She scoffed. However, his comment had brought forth a nagging realization. Although she would never admit it, she actually had cared enough to show concern. _But I was more worried about the people he might hurt if he mutated not, him._ She thought doing her best to justify the feeling.

A few days ago, after she had discovered Project W, she had actually felt sorry for him. This feeling had dissipated over the past few days as she began to interact with him more again. As much as she would like to, she did not hate him. On the rare occasions he wasn't being a prick she didn't mind being around him. She had acquired a tolerance for him out of necessity. He was, after all, her only form of company and in a situation such as this any company was good company.

"The proper dosage is already separated into each vial, and it needs to be administered every hour." He said jarring her from her thoughts. He was beginning to realize that the more he confided in her the more agreeable she became, telling her about the serum would increase the likelihood of her cooperating on this trip. He closed the case setting it carefully on the table next to its twin. He grabbed the other case and held it out to her. She grabbed it carefully.

"That contains highly volatile material. Don't drop it." He cautioned in a stern tone. He then grabbed the other case and started to head out of the lab. She noticed that everything in the lab he had been working with was put away and the computer had been shut off. She took this to mean that they were leaving this place for good. She had no idea where they were going or what they were doing after they got to the town.

She looked around at the clean lab with the shiny metal tables she had sent so many hours reading on. She paused to look at one of the tables and noticed it had a few dents in it. She knew that one had occurred when she slammed her book down on the table, each one held a memory of the time she had spent here.

He had proceeded about halfway down the hallway when he realized she was no longer following him. He paused for a moment expecting her to catch up, but when he did not hear her leaving the room her called back to her. "Time is of the essence, Ms. Redfield."

A moment later she had caught up with him. "Sorry I was just…I don't know. I'm actually kind of going to miss this place. What about you?"

"Do I at all strike you as a sentimental man?" he drawled. He never understood why people felt the need to cling to objects that reminded them of past events.

"No." She said with a bit of a laugh trying to imagine Wesker being choked up about something.

"Then you have answered your own question." He said in a patronizing tone.

They had reached the staircase that lead to the outside world. And he allowed her to go up the stairs first. Once they reached the surface she shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight. She had gotten used to the fluorescent lights of the lab. He walked ahead of her now as she struggled to adjust to the sunlight. She shielded her eyes as they trudged forward.

He was much further ahead of her now and when he noticed just how far ahead he had gotten he paused to wait for her to catch up. "There is this wonderful invention called sunglasses that could help with your predicament." He drawled reaching into his pocket and holding out a spare pair.

"Thanks" she mumbled taking the pair and putting them on. The sunlight was instantly more bearable. He just nodded before continuing on ahead. Now that she could see better, she was keeping pace with him. Although he was not in a terrible hurry, he did not see the point in wasting time unnecessarily. If they continued at this pace they would reach the town in just about a few hours.

* * *

Jill was glad to be back at work again. Her superiors had told her that they didn't want her doing any field duty just yet and had given her the task of filing paperwork. Although it wasn't exactly what she wanted to be doing right now, she understood why they wanted her to ease back into work.

She was working with another member of the BSAA, named Audrey. Audrey was a full time file clerk and, although they usually never really talked much, Jill thought she seemed like a nice girl. Her brunette hair was pulled back in a bun and she had thick framed glasses on. She had a mousy appearance about that made her seem well suited for being a file clerk.

A familiar voice interrupted her from working. "Hey, how's it going?" Asked Chris causally leaning on the counter that separated the filling room from the main offices. He had been coming by to check on her almost every hour.

"Chris, don't you have actual work to be doing?" she teased as she continued to file paperwork.

"Yeah, but now you're all the way over here. Your desk used to be right across from mine. I miss my partner." He said with a pout.

"You have paperwork due and you just don't want to do it." She said rolling her eyes. Chris was famous for putting of his paperwork off till the last minute. Up until it was due he found any excuse not to do it.

"Well, yeah, but I also wanted to check on you. You know, see how your first day back is going." He shrugged trying to seem nonchalant.

"It's fine. Same as it was about and hour ago when you asked." She said with an amused smile. The first time he had come to visit the concern about her first day had been genuine. Now it seemed as though he was just making excuses to be around her.

"Something could have gone horribly wrong in that amount of time." He said with a slight smile resting an arm on the counter and leaning on it. This stance caused his bicep to flex. She was never really sure what had prompted his recent bulk up but she was hardly complaining.

"Chris, I enjoy the visits, but go do your paperwork" She said leaning towards him with a smirk before reaching a hand up to push his away from the counter."

"But…" He whined with a pleading look.

"Paperwork." She said with a laugh pointing back towards the main offices.

"Alright, I'm going." He said also with a laugh before heading away.

"Your boyfriend seems to really care about you." Observed Audrey. Jill jumped a little when she spoke because in all honestly she had forgotten that Audrey was there.

She let out a laugh and said "Oh, he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm sorry I just thought since you live with him and everything…"Stuttered Audrey.

"No it's fine. I suppose I could see how you might think that." She said with a shrug. She didn't feel like correcting Audrey and telling her that she didn't technically live with Chris. She was still paying rent on her old apartment and some at her of her clothes were still over there. She realized that she technically didn't need to keep staying at Chris's house, but she kind of didn't want to leave. She liked not eating dinner alone, and having someone to sit with while watching TV. She also felt like Chris needed her there for support. Someone needed to remind him to go to bed at night. He was often up late making phone calls and searching through documents trying to find anything that might help him find Claire.

He took things far too personally, there was nothing he could do about the fact that Claire had gone missing, but he still seemed to think he was somehow responsible. So far, he still hadn't found anything useful and she could tell he was getting discouraged. She just hoped that they found something soon for everyone's sake. She couldn't imagine what Claire could be going through right now.

* * *

They had reached the town within a couple of hours, and Wesker immediately went into a nearby building. The building looked to be some kind of bar and he went over to one of the pay phones in the back. He pulled out a wallet, a phone card, and began to dial.

"Where'd you get the wallet?" Asked Claire rubbing her temples, he imagined all the background noise was giving her a headache. He gave her an exasperated look before handing her the wallet. She looked at the driver's license inside and noticed it said Ron Fletcher. She recognized the man as the supply truck driver at the TerraSave camp. "You stole a wallet from a dead man?" She snapped glaring over at him.

He just held up one finger as if to say one minute, as he spoke into the phone in a bored tone, "What information have you acquired so far?" He paused as whoever was on the other line answered the question. "Good." He said before hanging up the phone and turning towards Claire. "It's impolite to interrupt someone when they are on the phone."

"Yeah, well, it's also impolite to murder and steal from people." She scoffed crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"It wasn't as though he was going to use it." He drawled before turning his attention back to the phone.

A few phone calls later and they were heading for a nearby airstrip. He hadn't really told her what was going on and she had been basically blindly following him. Everything around her was rather hectic; the town they had been in was rather small but now they had had left and entered a much more populated city

He had been right about her being overwhelmed. People were talking everywhere to the point it was difficult to figure out what anyone was saying. There was the smell of someone's dinner cooking; it must have been some kind of roast judging by the scent, there were the smell of gasoline and the hum of cars roaring by on a nearby road.

"Try focusing on one thing at a time." He said putting a hand on the small of her back and leading her in the proper direction. She kept looking around rapidly and would sometimes wander off in the wrong direction.

His voice had drowned out the din around her. For a moment she felt comfort from the familiar drawl. She just nodded and took his advice. She focused on what was familiar first, the smell of cologne and that scent she couldn't quite place, on the rapid heartbeat beside her. He led her over to a nearby bench.

As they sat by the airstrip waiting for a plane that would take them god only knows where, she began to observe the less familiar. The people around them going about their daily lives had no idea that someone as dangerous as Albert Wesker was amongst them. Some children headed off to school, their mother scolding one of the younger one for dawdling. A man dressed in a sharp business suit hurried by on his way to work.

She listened to their heart beats and they sounded so slow, they were steady and dependable rather than quick and powerful. It reminded her of just what she had become. She looked just like all the people going by, but she wasn't like them at all. As much as she hated to admit it, she was more like the man beside her. She was infected, there was no cure, and she would never be like them again.

"Where are we going?" She asked turning her attention towards him rather than the scene around her. It was depressing for her to think about them.

"We are heading back to the States." He said checking his watch. He had made arrangements with the Agency and their plane would be arriving soon. Once back in the States, they would head to one of his labs and he could continue his work there.

* * *

The Senator was finishing up yet another speech, but Leon had to admit his attention had not been on the senator these past few days. What Chris had told him concerned him. Claire was out there somewhere and he had been doing the best he could to try and find her.

He had been looking into reports about the event that had happened at the TerraSave camp but so far nothing had really been all that helpful. He knew this Wesker guy was dangerous but he had never really directly dealt with him like Chris had. Ada would be able to help, but he knew he couldn't just ask her for help. Ada wasn't the type to give up valuable information.

He hadn't seen her in the few days since she had attended that one speech. Right now he was at the airport making sure everything was safe for the Senator. He thought he saw something move behind one of the planes and pulled out his gun proceeding with caution to investigate.

"I have some files." Said a familiar voice, into a phone. Ada hung up and a moment later turned to face him. He had not lowered his weapon and was instead pointing it at her. "You realize that's only intimidating if you plan to use it." She said with a smirk.

"What would Wesker want with Claire? Where is he keeping her?" He asking knowing Ada usually didn't stick around long so he'd better just cut to the chase. She was right about the gun- he had no intention of using it, but he hadn't lowered it, yet. He would like to think he at least had some control of the situation.

"Redfield?" said Ada looking intrigued.

"Yeah, he took her didn't he? What for?"

"In my line of work it's best to just get the job done, not ask questions." She said already starting to walk away.

"Damn it Ada! You must know something?" He said taking a few strides toward her.

"If I were you, I'd pay more attention to the warning I gave you." And with that said she quickly pulled out the grappling gun and shot it towards a nearby airplane hangar.

"Ada!" he called after her, but she was now long gone as she disappeared over the rooftop. "Damn it!" he cursed kicking the wheel of the nearby airplane. That had been his chance to help Chris find Claire. He knew he should have done something to make her stay and forced the answer out of her, but he had a soft spot for the female spy. He had a feeling it would get him into trouble someday.

* * *

The plane they had boarded was a small passenger jet carrying mostly businessmen and government aid officials. The jet engine was extremely noisy as she stared out the window and the clouds floated by. She had been resting her cheek against the glass because the sound of the jet drowned out the noise of people talking around her. Being around people depressed her because the more she observed the people around her, the more she realized how she was different from them.

"Jumping out the window would be a bad idea." He drawled as he flipped through one of those airplane magazines scowling at the useless products. There was something severely deranged about a species that felt the need to make snuggies for their pets.

"I wasn't going to do that." She said turning her attention away from the window. She hadn't snapped at him like he had been expecting.

"You haven't spoken in the last few hours, that usually means you're about to try another reckless escape plan." He explained.

"I'm not going to try and escape." She sighed before resting her head against the glass once again.

Even if she got away from him, she still couldn't escape the fact that she was no longer human. They had just started passing out the in-flight meal and although she hated airplane food she almost asked for a plate, but she knew it would be wasteful. She wasn't even hungry and wouldn't be for quite some time. She would usually pass the time on a plane sleeping, but she barely felt tired and the noises around her made it difficult. The recycled air had a musty smell that was distracting.

"I didn't think Redfields were the type to tell lies." He said looking at her with suspicion.

"I'm not being deceitful. I'm upset you moron!" She snapped. He saw her eyes flash behind the sunglasses as she tried to discretely reach up to wipe her eyes. She would not let him have the satisfaction of knowing that she was tearing up. Unfortunately, she noticed the air had a salty smell to it now, and if she noticed it she imagined he would as well. She rarely cried, but it seemed as though everything she had been feeling these past few weeks had decided to plague her now that there was nothing to really distract her from it.

"I was rather hoping we were past all the self-pity." He said clenching his jaw at the insult.

"Yeah me too, but being around them…I just…I don't know…" She said with a sigh. She was feeling a great deal of emotions; she was angry at the people around her for reminding her she was infected, she was furious with Wesker for putting her in this situation in the first place, sad that she could never be normal, and these were just the feelings she felt on the surface.

He just nodded and turned his attention back to the magazine. He figured he could just ignore her for the rest of the flight, she would have hopefully by then have sorted out her feelings and he would not have to deal with them. It seemed, however, the redhead had other plans.

"I don't suppose you've ever wanted to just be average." She mused. Focusing on the man beside her and his problems in order to distracted her from her own.

"No." He said in a bored tone.

"Not even when you were a kid?" She asked with caution knowing his childhood was a sensitive subject.

"No." He growled out, as he eyes flashed.

"I suppose not. I tell you what though, if my younger self could see me now I'd imagine they'd be wondering how the hell I ended up here." She said with a bitter laugh.

"Yes, having someone ruin your plans must be terribly annoying." He drawled still not looking over at her. He was regretting speaking to her in the first place and wishing she would just be quiet once again. Their conversations were usually short and he had only spoken to her because he found that he was growing bored and thought that pestering the Redfield beside him might provide some sort of amusement. It seemed, however, that she had no intention of stopping their conversation anytime soon.

"Is that why you hate my brother so much?" She asked looking over at him with interest.

"One reason, out of many." He closing the magazine and looking over at her. She could tell he was getting annoyed with her and, once, this would have scared her, but ever since the Project W incident it did not. On that day she realized something. She realized that for some reason she was important to him. She knew it had to do with the virus, but she couldn't quite understand why even after all the things she did to annoy him he still let her have basically free rein.

"Do you hate me?" She asked with curiosity.

"If you keep bothering me on this flight I just might consider it." He warned. She did not respond and thankfully fell quiet once again. With a comfortable silence now restored he could once again consider his plans. He had a lot of damage control to do, what with Uroboros not yielding the proper results. He had hired Ada to look into the pharmaceutical company Genzyme. Although on the surface they seemed like a normal pharmaceutical company, he noticed they had friends in high places and this warranted further investigation. Perhaps Genzyme was not what they seemed. Only the information Ada had acquired could confirm this suspicion.

His thoughts were interrupted by a weight on his shoulder and the smell vanilla and the soap from the facility. From how steadily she was breathing he knew she had to be asleep. He shrugged his shoulder a bit in order to try and make her shift away. He did so with caution, trying not to wake her, since the fact that she was asleep meant that he was guaranteed some peace and quiet.

The plan backfired as the result was for her to mumble something incoherent before snuggling closer. No one used him as a pillow, he thought as he grimaced and reached up a hand to push her head off his shoulder so that it could now rest on the wall of the airplane.

A moment later, she had somehow managed to return. _Leave it to a Redfield to be a nuisance even when they were sleeping._ He looked down at the snoozing woman, it seemed as though the emotional outburst she had earlier had finally exhausted her. She would probably only sleep for about another half an hour or so, and, rather than constantly fight her on the matter, he supposed could tolerate allowing her to rest on his shoulder.

He thought about the question she had asked him earlier and came to the conclusion that he hated everyone. But, after spending quite a lot of time with the redhead, he realized that, despite some of her Redfield tendencies, he could for the most part tolerate her existence much more than most people. He had been making progress with his plans. Every day she seemed to be fighting him less and less; she still snapped at him and argued with him, but there seemed to be more bark than bite behind her words these days. Despite some minor setbacks everything seemed to be falling into place quite nicely.

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	9. Holidays

**Well Happy Holidays to everyone. Anyways here is another chapter hope you like it.**

When they had first arrived at their destination, Claire had thought Wesker had taken them to another research facility, but after further investigation she realized this was not the case. The majority of the house was taken up by a personal lab with dozens of computers and other machines that Claire did not recognize. The lab was connected to some kind of living room that seemed to mirror the clean and modern style of the lab. Most of the objects in the room were black, white, or gray. There was a white couch beside a black bookshelf that looked hard and uncomfortable.

Wesker had disappeared into a room with a keypad lock to it, and Claire took his lack of instruction as free rein to explore. The house also contained a workout room and kitchen downstairs, while upstairs there was only a bedroom and bathroom. The closet in the bedroom was full of mostly suits. She would have to talk to him about actually getting some clothing of her own, at the moment she had been using borrowed clothing from the Umbrella facility. The house hardly looked lived in and was very minimalist, stocked with only what was needed.

It made sense to her that his home would be decorated in such a manner; he had practically lived in labs all his life. It only made sense that he would be comfortable in that atmosphere and make his home mirror it. After the quick walk through of the house, she took a shower and then headed into the living room where she took one of the books off the shelf before settling on the couch.

The house was extremely quiet and, although she was at first relieved to be away from the din of the outside world, now the silence was making her uncomfortable. She found herself turning the pages of the book with extra caution because the ruffling of pages sounded so loud in the silence.

She was actually happy to see Wesker when he emerged from the locked room a few hours later.

"I see you've made yourself at home." He stated looking over at the redhead as she lounged on the couch with her feet propped up on the glass coffee table.

"Well, it's so cozy and inviting how could I not?" She said with a smirk, looking up from her book. Much to her disappointment the door from which he had came was now shut. She was curious as to what was in that locked room.

He seemed to notice where she was looking behind him. He knew she would want to get into that room; it was unlikely she would figure out the combination, but Redfields had an uncanny ability to get what they set their mind to. "There is an advanced communication system in there as well as all the security information for the house. Even if you did somehow manage to get inside, you would not know how to work it." He explained in a patronizing tone.

"We'll see." She said in a causal tone.

"You're hardly in a position to be threatening me." He coolly replied grabbing a binder full of old research notes off of the bookshelf. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch from her and began to look through them.

"It wasn't a threat. People aren't always trying to stab you in the back." She said looking up from her book to stare at him. He always had his guard up; his shoulders were always tense and he was constantly observing everything that went on around him.

"Experience has taught me otherwise." He drawled.

"Yeah, well, I understand there is a lot wrong with this world, but there are some people actually doing good things. They remind me not to be so jaded." She said with a shrug, she knew this statement would not change his mind on the subject, but she still felt the need to express it all the same. He did not bother to reply, but instead continued to look at his research notes. It seemed as though despite the different setting things had gone basically back to the way they usually where.

* * *

Claire had been missing for over a month now, and even thought there was still no sign of her Chris had not given up hope in finding her. He didn't think they would find her before the holidays, especially since Christmas Eve was tomorrow.

They had been so busy with work and everything they had just spent the day putting up decorations and buying a tree. Now the tree was adorned with the hodgepodge of ornaments they had collected over the years, there were lights strung along the roof and a wreath on the door.

"That is one good looking tree." Said Jill as she plopped down on the couch next to her partner. She had officially moved in about a week ago, and right now the two of them were off work and putting up Christmas decorations. When Chris had found out that she was still paying rent on her old apartment he had practically insisted she just moved in with him, with Claire gone he would need help paying off the mortgage and Jill was over all the time anyways.

"Yeah, it's not too shabby for a rush job." Said Chris with a smile looking over at the tree as well. The lot had been practically out of trees and this one had some bent up twigs and lost a lot of needles on the drive home, but now they had fixed it up, and it didn't look half bad.

"We forgot to put the star up." Jill observed finally realizing what was missing from the tree.

"I left it in the box. Claire usually does that." Explained Chris, his expression darkening as he became lost in thought. Jill got up from the couch and retrieved the star from its box. She placed it on the mantle beside a photo of Chris and Claire at her college graduation.

"To let her know we're thinking of her and that we miss her." She said with a small smile.

"Just once it would be nice to have everyone I care about home for the holidays." Said Chris with a sigh.

"I'd almost forgotten I missed out on a Redfield family Christmas last year." Jill mused. She had gotten better at the whole Africa thing finding it easier to talk about, but it would take time before the really came to terms with it.

"Claire tried to make Christmas cookies from scratch." Chris smiled at the memory of that fiasco; Claire had never really been a good cook.

"I can't imagine that went well." Said Jill with a laugh.

"She nearly burned the house down."

"I wish I had been there." Said Jill with a sigh.

"You would have if you could have been." He said putting an arm on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Actually, that reminds me." He said getting up from the couch. He left the living room and went into his bedroom. Jill heard him rummaging around in some of his drawers before coming back into the room holding a small sloppily wrapped present. He handed it to her and she said "Chris, I thought we said we weren't exchanging gifts this year."

"I know, this is from last year." He explained sitting down on the couch next to her. "Go ahead and open it."

She carefully tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a small velvet jewelry box which she opened to reveal a silver necklace with an odd shaped jagged charm on the end.

"It's real working lock pick…" He began to explain, but was interrupted when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Chris, that was really sweet of you." She said looking up at him but still not breaking their embrace. She didn't want to let go-something about being this close to him felt so right. As she looked into his deep brown eyes she realized something she had actually know for a long time, she loved this man and could think of nowhere else she would rather be right now. "I feel bad 'cause I didn't get you anything."

"Just having you here and knowing you're safe is all I need." He said looking down at her and feeling himself move closer. Her reply was to close the distance between the two of them as their lips met. She lingered for a moment but, contemplated pulling away as panic set in when she realized she had actually acted on her feelings. But he took control of the situation deepening the kiss and running a hand though her hair as he felt any doubts he had been having become background noise. Her panic subsided when he had returned the kiss as they both began to finally express years of pent up emotion.

After a moment they broke apart, and Chris rested his forehead on hers. "I've been wanting to do that for years." He sighed.

"You know, if I wasn't so damn happy right now, I might be pissed at you for waiting so long, Redfield." She said with a smirk.

"Guess I'm just lucky then." He said with a smile, that he had a feeling would not go away for a long time. There were some things in his life that weren't going well, but as he gazed into the eyes of the woman in front of him he couldn't help but think at least he got one thing right.

* * *

Claire had become rather comfortable with her new surroundings, and things had fallen into a comfortable rhythm. It was basically the same as it had been at the Umbrella facility in Africa: she would get up, shower, train with Wesker, and then sit and read while Wesker worked in the lab. The only difference was Wesker would often head into the communication room and not come out for hours on end, she didn't know what he was planning or who he was talking to. So far, she had been unsuccessful in her attempts at breaking into the room, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

She noticed he wasn't taking the serum as frequently anymore which meant that he had probably figured out how to make the dosage stronger, but it seemed as though he still had not gotten himself fully stable yet. He wasn't here at the house right now because he had gone out somewhere. Occasionally, he would leave her here for a few hours by herself and it was times like this that she tried to break into the communication room. She tried a few combinations at random before giving up and deciding to take a shower.

When she got out of the shower, dressed, and headed into the bedroom she noticed a large box sitting on the bed accompanied by a smaller one. They had not been in here when she had gotten into the shower. Curious, she took off the lid of the smaller box and noticed a pair of silver strappy heels. She then moved onto the next box and found an emerald green dress. Grabbing both the items she headed downstairs to find him working in the lab.

"What is this?" She asked holding up the dress and shoes.

"That would be a dress." He said looking up from his work.

"Yeah, no shit. I meant why there is a dress in the bedroom." There was a bit of a bite to her words but she looked interested in his response.

"The Agency is having a Christmas Party and I am obligated to attend. You may either join me or be locked in the lab for the evening." He turned back to his work to try and show that he did not care which option she chose. However he was rather hoping she would accompany him, it would be easier than trying to lock her up somewhere in the house. Plus the one time he had ever brought his last associate Excella to something like she proved to be a rather useful diversion for unwanted advances.

"It's Christmas?" She asked processing the information. She had not realized that she had been away for so long.

"Christmas Eve." He clarified.

"Oh…and you're working right now." She observed, biting her lip unaware that she had taken a step forward to try and see what he was working on.

"Is there a problem with that?" He snapped annoyed by her interruptions.

"No, it's just, well, it's Christmas. Don't you want to take a break?" She said with an exasperated sigh, she knew he wouldn't but she couldn't help but wonder how anyone could actually want to work on Christmas.

"No. The party is in a few hours- if you are coming I expect you to at least try and look presentable." He said looking up from his work expecting her to be glaring him for the snide remark. Instead she just brushed off the comment, and calmly replied "Okay." He eyed her with suspicion as she left.

As she went upstairs, she began to ponder just what Wesker had said. _Was it really Christmas already?_ She tried to imagine what Chris was doing right now, by Christmas Eve the house was usually decorated and the two of them were usually attempting to make Christmas dinner, the last few years they were usually joined by Jill who oversaw the ordeal and tried her best to salvage the damage the two of them caused to the meal. Christmas was supposed to be a time to spend with loved ones, and she was spending it with her worst enemy, well maybe not her worst, but certainly up there.

A little while ago when she, much to her dismay, realized she did not hate Albert Wesker she had come to the conclusion that who she really hated was Umbrella. They were the ones who had shaped him into who he was. After all you can't blame a hand for hitting you; it is the person who controls it that is at fault. But, that didn't mean a hand couldn't hurt you.

So it wasn't her ideal way to spend Christmas, she supposed she could at least make the most of it. Although the house lacked the sort of decorations that would help spread Christmas cheer, that didn't mean she couldn't still feel the spirit of Christmas. She was surprised Wesker had given her the option to come along, but the she realized he probably did so because then he could actually keep an eye on her rather than just lock her up somewhere and hope she didn't escape.

She looked down at the clothing that was provided for her. The dress was floor length and backless and the material felt expensive. The shoes had a thin heel that was at least 3 inches and she had no idea how she was going to walk in them, she had a hard enough time doing so in regular heels.

While she was in the bathroom trying to figure out what to do with her hair, she heard him come into the bedroom probably to grab a suit out of the closet before he headed back downstairs. It only took her about an hour to get ready, and before heading downstairs she took a moment to look in the mirror at the finished product.

The dress was never something she would have picked for herself in a million years, but she had to admit it did a wonderful job flattering her figure.

Wesker had no idea how long it would take her to get ready, so once he was dressed in a tux he sat down on the couch and began to look through some files. The information Ada had obtained had been intriguing. It seemed Genzyme was working with BOWs and since then he had sent Ada to obtain their research data. He heard Claire coming down the stairs and looked up to see if she had managed to make herself presentable.

The dress fit her like a glove, hugging her curves in all the right places and her hair was pulled back in an elegant bun. She actually looked like a goddess worthy of the power she possessed. The illusion, however, was quickly shattered when she stumbled forcing her to grab onto the railing to keep from falling. She glared down at her feet cursing the shoes she wore. The anger had caused her eyes to turn red for a brief moment.

"I nearly broke my ankle." She with a laugh said walking down the stairs with caution so she would not stumble again.

"Try not to at the party. I don't want to have to explain that to my employers." He cautioned getting up from the couch and walking towards her.

"I promise to behave as best I can. Consider it my Christmas gift to you, but come the 26th I'm back to being a nuisance." She said with a smile. He looked at her with suspicion and she let out a sigh and said "Redfields always keep their promises. Plus, I wouldn't try reckless escape plans tonight; its Christmas. You know peace on Earth, goodwill towards men."

"Jesus would have been born in the summer; the Christian church moved it so it would coincide with the winter solstice. It's a holiday based on lies and forced happiness." He explained holding out an arm for her to grab onto. She linked her arm with his and now used him for balance rather than the railing.

"You just hate Christmas because your heart is two sizes too small." She teased.

"My heart is in perfect working order." He explained not getting the reference.

"No, it's a joke. I was comparing you to the Grinch." She said with a smile and a bit of a laugh.

"Grinch?" he said in a tone that suggested she clarify the statement.

"It's a character in a children's book. He tries to steal Christmas. How have you never heard of it?" Her smile fading as she finished the sentence. She felt sorry for him and could not imagine what it would be like to have missed so much about being a kid. She kept her face blank knowing that her pity would only anger him.

"I doubt it was on the Umbrella sanctioned reading list." He drawled leading her over to the couch. She unlinked her arm from his and sat down. He did not join her but said "We leave in an hour." Before heading to the communication room and shutting himself inside. Claire let out a sigh. She had been trying to be nice in order to keep up the Christmas spirit, but it seemed to have backfired. She couldn't help but wonder what else from his childhood Umbrella had taken from him.

* * *

When they arrived at the Christmas Party the event was already in full swing. The party was being held at a rather large manor. They were greeted at the door by a friendly woman that Claire could best describe as a typical trophy wife, who actually seemed happy to see Wesker, which was strange to Claire.

The manor was full of people and Claire was beginning to wonder just what exactly she had gotten herself into. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed but after traveling back from Africa she had better practice at dealing with the situation.

"You seem more nervous about being around the people here than you do with BOWs" He said with an amused smirk.

"I'm not nervous." She said loosening the death grip she had on his arm. "I usually don't have to worry about falling flat on my face when dealing with BOWs."

"Well, I have some business to attend to, do try and stay out of trouble." He said before letting her go. He started to walk away when she stopped him.

"Wait you're just leaving me here?" She said feeling a bit panicked but trying not to let it show.

"I think you'll manage, dear heart." He said in an amused tone before heading off to speak with his boss.

When he found him, it seemed his boss was not at all interested in talking business and was much more interested in Claire.

"Albert, how is it you always find such pretty young things to bring to these events?" asked his boss with interest. Arnold Fletcher was the type of man desperately trying to hide the fact that his own mortality was catching up with him. If the comb over was not a dead give-away the fact that he had a new young bimbo for a wife every couple of months certainly was. Men with money and power had the ability to do this, though it hardly produced the actual result they hoped for, surrounding oneself with young people only makes you look older. He tried to recall the name of the most recent wife but gave up having a feeling that Arnold probably couldn't recall her name either.

"I'd imagine not being married helps." He drawled looking over at Claire who was talking with his boss's wife. Actually, Claire seemed to have gained a lot of attention from the room. Wesker noticed that many of his fellow co-workers were sneaking lustful glances at what was to them the mystery woman. Of course none of them deserved someone such as Claire, she was superior to just about everyone in the room and tonight she actually looked the part.

She stood chatting with many of the other woman at the party, all of whom, judging by how interested they were in her, seemed to like her. If he had known she would have been such a useful distraction, he would have utilized her a long time ago. It seemed his boss had completely forgotten about the fact that he had asked him to attend so that they could discuss the fiasco that had been Africa.

After he finished talking with some of the people he need to network with, he went to look for Claire. It seemed as though she was nowhere to be found, but then he noticed a lone figure standing outside on the balcony. She was staring at the view of the city below and watching the snow that was starting to fall. She had actually been enjoying herself a few minutes ago, the women she had been talking to were so carefree and probably ignorant of what it was their husbands actually did for a living.

She wondered how many of their lives would be ruined once the Agency fell, and how many of them would probably die because of it. She had been thinking about her brother and what he was probably doing right now, when she felt a weight on her shoulders and was surrounded by the familiar scent of cologne.

"It's cold outside." He explained as she looked at the coat draped around her shoulders and then over at him. He adjusted his cufflinks making sure the removal of his jacket had not made them askew before folding his arms behind his back and standing beside her taking in the view of the city. After a moment he glanced over at her as she spoke.

"But we don't get cold." She said with a sigh her brow furrowed, despite the fact she was not actually cold she hugged the jacket tighter around herself.

"I know, but we don't need them to know that." He said gesturing with a hand to the party going on inside.

"No, I suppose not." She said looking back at the party. "I had to leave because they were making me upset. They were talking about news footage they had seen from Africa. One woman said something about how anything Uroboros touches turns into a monster." She said bitterly.

"You're not a monster, dear heart." Although the source was questionable, she felt reassurance in his words. She couldn't help but wonder why he was being kind of nice to her. _Great, now he's got me being paranoid about people's motives_. She thought to herself and decided to take the statement for what it was. She didn't believe they were gods like he did, but she certainly didn't think being infected made her a monster.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he looked at her with interest. The comment was genuine and held no sarcasm to it.

He just nodded and said "I have a few more people I need to talk with and then we will be going."

He went back inside leaving Claire standing alone on the balcony. A few moments later, she decided to head back inside. The party was a nice distraction and she would rather be happy on Christmas than alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Leon had to admit this was probably not the best idea. He had planned to spend Christmas alone at his apartment most likely downing some eggnog…very strong eggnogbefore passing out on the couch. However, an email had changed everything. A few hours ago he received an email with information about Claire's whereabouts.

He had kind of been hoping after he mentioned Claire to Ada she might help out a little, but he hadn't expected something as detailed as this. He peered through his binoculars at a mansion up on the hill, it looked like some kind of party was going on inside, and it seemed odd to him that Wesker would keep Claire in a place like this. He got a sinking feeling that this might be some kind of trap, but he felt he owed it to Chris to try and do something to help find Claire.

He managed to sneak inside by going through the back and posing as one of the servers. He grabbed a try of hor'devours before heading out into the party. He began to scan the crowd for Claire, but seemed unable to find her at the moment. Thinking she might be in one of the rooms down one of the hallways he sneaked by some guests before heading into the main part of the manor.

What he did not realize was that Claire had seen him and was carefully following him, waiting for the right time to speak with him. She knew she needed to wait until she was out of earshot and Wesker could no longer hear her. When he entered one of the nearby rooms she followed closing the door behind them.

He started to inspect one of the bookshelves thinking there might be something there when he heard a voice behind him.

"What are you doing here?" She said with a sigh. If he was planning to rescue her like she thought he was, it didn't look as though he had thought it through. It would probably be better if she got him out of here before Wesker found him.

He jumped when she spoke because he had not heard her enter the room. He also didn't expect her to be dressed like that. "Uh…I'm here to rescue you, but we have got to hurry before he realizes you're missing."

"Leon, it's not that simple." She said with a sigh. She knew even if she somehow did manage to escape, Wesker wasn't going to let her go; she knew too much and he was still researching the virus in her blood.

"No, it kinda is." Said Leon trying to grab her hand and pull her towards the door.

"I can't." She snapped trying to pull her arm back. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but when the yanked her arm away the force send him flying to the ground once again and a defending pop suggested that his shoulder had been dislocated. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She said kneeling down to see if he was okay.

He flinched away from her and looked at her with disbelief. There was something wrong with her eyes, for a moment they were a fiery red, but they had quickly returned back to their normal deep blue. "How the hell did you do that?"

"She's been infected." Said voice from behind her and Claire recognized it as the one person she didn't want to have here right now. Wesker had probably come looking for her when she wandered off. "You must be the renowned Mr. Kennedy." He said entering the room.

"Yeah, and you're Albert Wesker. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but then I'd be lying." Leon scoffed getting up from the floor. He was tensed and ready for an attack. "I'm taking Claire with me."

"No, you're not. Though, you are more than welcome to try." Said Wesker in an amused tone. Claire knew he was the type to toy with people. Claire saw the look of determination on Leon's face and knew he was about to do something reckless. He pulled out his combat knife, lunging at Wesker, who easily dodged the attack by pivoting to the left and then using the momentum to spin around, kicking Leon in the back and sending him flying across the room.

Leon didn't even have a moment to get up before he felt a shoe pushing down on his collar bone. He winced in pain, but felt it ease up when he looked up noticing Claire was beside Wesker. He hadn't even seen her cross the room. She had a hand on Wesker's chest and was gently pushing him back.

"Please, we can just leave." She implored, but he didn't seem like he intended to let up so she tried a different approach. "He works for the government. People would start to look into this if he suddenly disappeared." She cautioned. She knew he wasn't the type to show mercy, but he would listen to reason.

"Well, this is a rather expensive suit. I would hate to ruin it by getting your blood all over it." Said Wesker fixing his jacket as he looked down at Leon lying on the ground in pain. "Still, I can't let you off that easily." He said with a malicious smirk before swiftly kicking Leon's side. Claire winced, as she was certain she had heard a few ribs crack. She knew, however, it would be worse for both of them if she tried to intervene again.

"If you make it out of here alive, do tell Chris and Miss Valentine that we say hello." He drawled heading towards the door. Claire hesitated for a moment looking at her friend lying on the floor, she wanted to help him up, but Wesker's voice stopped her. "Dear heart, we have places to be."

So after shooting an apologetic glance at Leon, she walked towards Wesker who put a hand on the small of her back before leading her outside of the room.

**Don't forget to review please. :)**


	10. Boiling Point

**Okay I realize it's been awhile since my last update and I don't have any other excuse than I was busy over the holidays. Also I want to thank Maur the wonderful person who puts up with my bad grammar and edits my stories even when she is sick, and also my roommate for being my inspiration for some of the Wesker dialogue. **

**Well now with all of that out of the way here is the next chapter, it's long so I hope you like it. **

Claire had not said a word the entire drive back to the house as she silently fumed. She had actually been enjoying herself because she had forgotten the situation she was in, until Leon showed up. She could remember the look on his face when she had hurt him. She had refused to go with him, and why? Because of a promise she had made, because she had thought they would not succeed. She didn't even try to escape; she didn't even really help him. She was worried that perhaps Wesker's indifference towards other people was starting to rub off on her.

When they arrived back at the house, Claire clenched her jaw in determination and began to stride towards the communication room. She had power and it was about damn time she decided to use it. She thrust her hand into the keypad console ripping it out of its socket as well as a handful of wires.

"So much for behaving." He said in a calm tone, neatly folding his jacket, and setting it on the edge of the couch. He knew ripping the console out would not cause the door to open, and he assumed that after she failed at this she would storm upstairs. He was starting to notice trends in her behavior, and often when she got frustrated with something it ended with her storming upstairs, usually to take a shower.

"Fuck you." She snapped glaring at him for a moment before setting her sights on the door. He imagined she was angrier at herself than she was at him, but that still didn't keep her from lashing out at someone. He had honestly been a little surprised at just how compliant she had been throughout most of the evening.

"I thought Redfields always keep their promises?" He said with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, I lied." She scoffed before delivering a swift kick to the door. The heel of her shoe snapped as the metal bent. She knew he would not tolerate this level of defiance so she was ready for what came next. She dodged the blow that was meant to knock the wind out of her, swiftly pivoting on heel she knocked his feet out from under him. She had forgotten about the broken heel and she stumbled. It cost her dearly. Faltering for a second was deadly around someone like Wesker.

A kick sent her flying across the room, crashing thought the side table and slamming into the wall behind it. He grabbed her by the shoulders lifting her up off the ground before throwing her against the door she had been trying to break down moments ago. He pinned her there. Hand clasped around her neck cutting off her air supply. There was fire behind her eyes as she glared at him-almost daring him to finish what he had started.

"You claim to be so much like your brother, but you are really not like him at all are you?" He mocked with a smirk, his head tilted slightly as their eyes met when he looked over his sunglasses.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She gasped struggling to get the words out.

"Well, I doubt he would have just stood idly by while I harmed one of his friends." He stated the corner of his lip upturned as he used his free hand to reach up and adjust his sunglasses. He knew she was feeling regret over the incident with Mr. Kennedy, and, though she had stepped in a bit, he knew how Redfields were. Her efforts would hardly seem up to par to her and he would use this against her. He had been intrigued by her actions tonight, for it was a side of her he had not seen before. He was curious to see just how far he could push her. Not to mention the satisfaction that came with torturing a Redfield.

Some of the harshness left her gaze as his statement took effect. "If there weren't people like you, I wouldn't have to be worried about them being harmed." She snapped.

The comeback was weak, and he chuckled at bit. "I know what kind of person I am, dear heart. Your dilemma is that after the way you behaved this evening, you're unsure as to what kind of person that makes you." He purred as he leaned in close. She felt the hand on her neck loosen so now it was just resting at the junction between her neck and shoulder.

She let out a bitter laugh. "You only know who you are because Umbrella told you exactly who to be!" At this statement the smug expression on his face vanished. The hand that had been relaxed tensed and resumed its grip on her neck. His jaw clenched and his shoulders went rigid, a sign that she had learned often meant he was angry. For a moment, she thought he might actually choke her to death as she stared into the black shades. But then she felt his grip ease up ever so slightly as he tiled his head to the side contemplating something.

"I didn't realize you had it in you to be so cruel, Ms. Redfield." He mused as he raised an eyebrow. The hand still around her neck he pulled away slightly. She could no longer feel his breath on her face, but still close enough that the scent of his cologne was overwhelming her senses.

"Well, I learned from the master." She stated breathily. She thought she would have passed out by now from lack of air, but the pressure on her neck was just enough where she could still breathe a bit.

"Perhaps." He said before he threw her to the ground. She coughed as her lungs filled with air again. He grabbed his jacket off the couch draping it over his arm. He began to head towards the stairs, pausing for a moment to look over at the redhead. She was slowing standing and glaring over at him. He smirked before heading upstairs, knowing his words had delivered a more powerful blow than any punch he could have thrown.

Claire slowly shook her head as his words still rung in her ears._ What kind of person does that make me?_ She let out a sigh as she pondered the question. She was angry at herself for not doing more to help Leon and couldn't help but wonder what he thought of her now. Leon had claimed that the situation was simple and perhaps to some like him it was.

People like Leon and her brother saw the world as black and white, there was good and there was evil. This had been the way she was raised and how she was taught, but as she grew older she found herself seeing the world in shades of gray. She had come to the conclusion that the real reason she had not left with Leon was because of her promise. At that moment, she had not wanted to break it because then she would be just confirming Wesker's suspicions; she had wanted to prove that people could be trusted.

That was another thing she felt remorse for tonight. She had managed to screw that up too with her outburst a few moments ago. She had felt so angry a moment ago and for a brief second it had felt good, but now she felt terrible. She didn't have it in her to be mean, or at least not enough of it to stick with it. Well, at least there was one thing she could fix, she thought as she looked upstairs.

She headed up the staircase before pausing at the closed bedroom door. She tentatively knocked on the door, there wasn't an immediate answer, but she heard movement from the other side.

"What?" He barked throwing open the door and glaring over at her. She noticed the sheets on the perfectly made bed where turned down and wrinkled. He was wearing a black t-shirt and slacks, which was about as close to casual dress as he ever got. She had come upstairs to apologize but she almost forgot this goal when she realized he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. Although his eyes had flashed for a moment, they had now returned back to a neutral state. It seemed strange to see the red orbs hold any emotion besides anger or malice. He actually looked tired, and it was times like this that she knew they were only human. Well sort of, but it certainly proved they were nowhere near being gods like Wesker thought they were.

"Sorry, did I bother you?" She asked once she came to her senses.

He looked at the watch that he still wore. "No, I thoroughly enjoy being disrupted two minutes into the one hour of sleep I get every few weeks." He drawled voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Right, sorry." She winced.

"Is there a point to this discussion?" He said in a bored tone.

"Actually yeah, I wanted to apologize." She quickly stated. It felt weird apologizing to him but she still felt the need to do it.

"No. That is not why you are here." He stated as he studied her trying to figure out her motive. After everything that had happened tonight, he was having some difficulty figuring out what she would do next. He was able to come to this one conclusion quickly because this was the true motive behind an apology for anyone; he had learned over the years that an apology was merely a tool for people to make themselves feel better.

"Oh really, enlighten me then." She scoffed crossing her arms. She didn't understand why he couldn't just accept the damn apology so they could move on with their lives.

"You're here because you are feeling like you could have done more to help Mr. Kennedy and you think doing something nice will make you feel less guilty." He stated in the same cut and dry manner he said any fact.

"That's not true! Why do you have to be so suspicious about everyone's intentions?" She faltered, although she couldn't help but feel deep down he was right about her intentions. She had always considered herself a selfless person, doing things because they were right and not because they would benefit her.

When she had decided to work for TerraSave it was because it was a job where she could help people. But then again, she could have worked for a lot of different organizations doing this; perhaps she had chosen to aid victims of bioterrorism because she had felt guilty. She thought of Sherry and how she had just left her, about all the infected people she had killed- yes, they had been trying to kill her, but before all of this they were just normal people, with lives and a family. _Was working for TerraSave just a way to try and even her score?_

"There's nothing wrong with being selfish. In fact, it might actually do you some good." He stated closing the door in her face before she could retaliate. She had half a mind to bang on the door but decided against it. Tonight had been an exhausting ordeal that had left her with many things to think about, and for many of them she wasn't sure she liked the answers she was coming up with.

* * *

Leon got up off the floor, still not entirely sure what had just happened. It was a lot of information to take in, not to mention he knew he needed to somehow relay it all to Chris. He certainly was not looking forward to that. He focused on keeping his cool, he was a government agent, keeping calm in difficult situations was what he was trained for. He imagined Chris wouldn't take the news that his sister might be somehow working for Wesker as good news.

"Did you honestly think that was going to work?" asked a familiar voice from the doorway. He looked over to see Ada leaning against the frame.

"I thought it couldn't hurt to try." He winced as he tried to move his injured arm.

"Seems that you were wrong." She said with a smirk coming over to help him. She took his arm and pulled sharply snapping the bone back into its socket.

"Yeah, well, your boss is just such a nice guy." He scoffed, wincing when she set the bone.

"Consider yourself lucky that Claire was there." She said crossing her arms and looking at him with an almost concerned expression.

"Sorry if I don't exactly feel the same way." He said rubbing his injured arm, now that it was back in place it was usable, but still hurt like hell. He recalled that Claire had been the one to hurt it, and remembered the inhuman red glow her eyes had when she did it. She had apologized, but he couldn't understand why she wouldn't leave with him. Or why she hadn't done something besides ask nicely for Wesker to stop. If she could rip his arm out of its socket so easily, she should have been able to take on Wesker.

"Leon, what are you doing here?" Ada said with an annoyed sigh.

"I got the information you sent me." He said brow knitted in confusion. He had just assumed the email signed A.W. had been from her, but her question suggested otherwise.

Ada looked confused by the statement, but she quickly put two and two together. "I knew this would happen, I just thought I had more time."

"Ada, what are you talking about?" He asked stepping closer. For a second he felt himself reaching out to grab her, but he hesitated when he realized that if she wanted to leave she was going to.

"She's clearing the playing field…" Ada mumbled she then turned her attention to Leon. "You need to get out of here; I'd leave through the servant entrance- no one should notice." She was already starting to leave the room, pulling out her phone and starting to dial.

"Damn it, Ada, I'm not leaving until I get some answers!" he said closing the distance between the two of them as he reached out to grab her free hand. This caused Ada to stop what she was doing and turn to face him.

"Don't you get it? Every time I help you Leon, I jeopardize my objective. So please, just go." She let out an exasperated sigh. He clenched his jaw in a moment of defiance as they stared each other down.

"Alright." He sighed but nodded in understanding, silently cursing the effect she had on him. His hand was still holding hers and he released it, feeling as her hand slip through his fingers. He left the room heading towards the service entrance; just as she predicted no one seemed to notice him leaving.

* * *

Chris let out a groan of annoyance as his comfortable slumber was interrupted by the sound of someone pounding on the front door. He was not alone in the sentiment, as Jill let out a groan as well, snuggling closer to him as she mumbled "Maybe they'll just go away."

The person outside pounded on the door again, and Chris let out a sigh before reluctantly getting out of bed. Clad in his boxers, he stumbled around the room for a moment before finding a shirt and throwing it on as well. He stretched as he made his way out the room and towards the front door.

"Hey, it's me Leon. Open up!" shouted Leon pounding on the door again. He was just about to repeat the action when a rather tired and irritated looked Chris opened the door.

"It's like two in the morning Leon, what are you doing here?" He grumbled. He knew Leon must have something important to say if he was at their door at this hour, but until he knew what it was he was just irritated at Leon for bothering him.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Leon said in an annoyed tone.

"Maybe because you are knocking on their door at two in the morning on Christmas!" Scoffed Chris.

"Look, will you just let me in; my night's been shitty okay?" Said Leon as he stepped forward pushing past Chris anyways. He noticed a trail of clothing belonging to both Chris and Jill heading towards Chris's room. Although Chris's house was usually kind of messy, he had a feeling this was out of the ordinary. "Though, I can see why you're pissed to see me-it seems your evening was going very well." Said Leon with a smirk that faded when he sat down on the couch and pain shot through his arm.

"What happened to you?" said Chris ignoring the comment but noticing his friend's discomfort.

"Dislocated shoulder-a gift from your sister, not exactly what I wanted for Christmas. But, hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?" He sighed rubbing his temples. His mind was still reeling from everything he seen tonight.

"Claire, she's alright?" Said Chris looking as though he was about ready to drop everything and find her.

Leon let out a sigh. "Look, I got good news and bad news-what do you want to hear first?"

"Good news." Said Chris before Leon had even finished the sentence.

"Claire seems to be doing just fine." Stated Leon, though his voice held a bitterness too it. Over the years he and Claire hadn't seen each other much; it always seemed to be in passing or during a time of crisis. When he had first met her all those years ago in Raccoon City, if the circumstances had been better he probably would have tried to date her. He had grown fond of her over the years but not in that way anymore. He had always thought of her as someone he could rely on and she was probably his closest friend.

"What's the bad news?" Said Jill who had thrown on one of Chris's shirts before joining everyone in the living room.

"She may be working for Wesker." Leon spat out quickly, he thought it would be best to deliver the news quickly.

"There's no way in hell my sister would be working for Wesker!" Chris fumed looking like he was about ready to punch something or rather Leon.

"I'm sure it just looked that way. She probably had a devise on her chest it would be red, about the size of a fist." Stated Jill thinking this was most likely the case. She pulled down the neckline of the shirt she was wearing to show the top of her scar.

"No there wasn't one." Said Leon with a sigh. This was not at all the kind of news you wanted to be telling someone on Christmas.

"Well, then, you just didn't see it." Chris firmly said crossing his arms and glaring over at his friend.

"Look, okay, with the dress she had on I think it would have been extremely easy to see a fist sized object on her chest." Scoffed Leon. He was trying to be sensitive about this, but the fact that Chris was being so stubborn about him being wrong was starting to piss him off. He knew what he had seen earlier this evening.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shouted Chris taking a step towards Leon. Leon got up from the couch going into a defensive stance. Jill stepped in front of Chris and put a hand on his chest.

"Let him finishing talking." She then looked over at Leon. "Why don't you start with what happened from the beginning?"

Leon settled back down on the couch before starting with his story. "Okay, so I got a tip about her location and I followed up on it. It was a big house with some kind of bash going on, and I didn't think she was there, but then she found me. I told her we had to leave, but she refused and did this." He said gesturing to his arm.

"If she refused to go, she must have had a reason." Chris was glaring over at Leon shaking his head.

"Yeah, maybe." He said nodding. He knew Chris probably knew Claire better than anyone; perhaps he had been too quick to jump the gun. Still, he knew what he had seen.

He continued with his story because he thought Chris should know all the details. "Then Wesker showed up-which by the way I can see why you hate the guy. He started beating the shit out of me, and she just asked him to stop! Then, they left together. I don't want to think this, but, she was dressed like a guest, and Wesker wasn't really keeping that much of an eye on her, she could have easily escaped…" He looked away from Chris, as much as he wanted to believe there was a specific reason for Claire acting the way she did, he couldn't bring himself to believe Chris.

"There has to be a reason! She wouldn't have just stayed there!" Shouted Chris, clearly in denial about this even being a possibility. He rubbed the back of his head before starting to crack his knuckles. He couldn't believe Leon would even suggest something like this, but that still didn't stop the fact that Leon's story sounded accurate.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you what I saw!" Said Leon holding up his hands in surrender.

"Well, you're making it sound like my sister is working for Wesker! And that's just not possible. I've known her longer than you and if _you_ knew her half as well as I do you would know that too!" Chris advanced on Leon. His fists were clenched and he had gotten as close as he could before Jill's hand on his chest stopped him.

"Hey! You weren't there and you don't know what it looked like, okay?" Leon shouted also taking a step closer to Chris. It was one thing for Chris to be in denial about Claire but questioning who well he knew her was not something he would just take lying down.

"If I was there, I would have brought her home!" Chris shouted pushing past Jill a bit to try and get in Leon's face. Leon looked as though he had enough and a fight was surely about to break out. A warning look from Jill however helped him snap out of it a bit. He knew Chris didn't mean to be insulting him like this, he was just trying to protect Claire.

Leon shook his head taking a step away from the conflict. He looked away from Chris and ran a hand through his hair before saying "That's not all though, Wesker said she's infected…" He hated having to add more bad news.

"With what?" asked Jill looking concerned, though she also looked a bit relieved that the situation had calmed down.

"I don't know, but she hits like a Mack truck." He said recalling how much strength had been behind her attack. "Oh, and her eyes turn red sometimes."

"Do you remember where the house was?" Asked Chris eyes narrowing in determination.

"Yeah, but they have probably left by now." Said Leon with a sigh.

"I don't care. If there's a chance we can find her I'm taking it." Said Chris storming into his room to get ready.

"What do you make of all this?" Leon asked Jill, who had been rather quiet throughout the whole exchange.

"I think you may both be right. Wesker's extremely manipulative; if Claire is working for him it's probably because her only other choice would be hurting us." Jill had been processing all of the information that Leon had told them and from what she knew from experience this seemed the most likely conclusion.

Leon just nodded in understanding. He pointed towards the bedroom that Chris had just entered. "He's gonna be pissed when he sees them."

"I'll worry about Chris; you just try and figure out the best way into that building." She said before heading off towards her own room, where most of her guns and equipment were. The news Leon had told them was troubling, and she found herself almost hoping they would not find Claire tonight. Chris wasn't ready to face something like this again.

* * *

Once Wesker had come back downstairs and went into the lab, Claire decided to change out of her dress. Wesker had let her order some stuff off the internet and now about a fourth of the closet was full of her stuff. She got dressed in some grey sweats and a black t-shirt before heading back downstairs.

She headed over to the bookshelf and grabbed some research notes to look over. Although she didn't understand what half of it was talking about, at least it was something to read. She tried to look into the lab a bit and gauge the kind of mood he was in, but judging by the fact that he was just working again the fight/talk they had earlier seemed to have no effect on his usual feeling of indifference.

She read for a while in the living room before heading into the lab for a bit to do some reading there as well. He glanced over at her for a moment as she settled down on one of the lab tables.

"Is there something wrong with the couch?" He inquired.

"It's not very comfortable." She said with a shrug.

"Yes, because the lab table is much… cozier." He drawled before turning his attention back to his work. Judging by the snide comment, it seemed their relationship had been restored to a comfortable level of tolerance for one another.

She had expected that the rest of Christmas would pass by in a relaxing manner, but it seemed Wesker had other plans. After reading in the lab for a bit, she went back into the living room.

She had just settled into the only place on the couch she actually found comfortable, when he came out of the lab and said "Time for another lesson," before heading towards the gym.

She knew that meant she was supposed to follow him, but she did so with reluctance- she had been kind of hoping they would take the night off. Still, she knew she had to go and train. The moment she walked in the door she was met with a great deal of pain.

A bullet hit her shoulder, tearing through ligaments and shattering bone before exiting out the other side. The force was so great it caused her upper body to jerk back a bit. She felt muscle begin to repair itself as bone fragments pieced back together. It hurt a bit but not as much as she had expected, she had a feeling the virus did something to numb the pain slightly. She wasn't going to ask Wesker about it though because he was probably just tell her the same thing, after first pointing out that there was a complex scientific explanation she would not understand. She didn't even have time to fully appreciate the healing effect before the same pain occurred in her other arm.

This time, when she recovered, she had more time to take in the scene in front of her. She rubbed her shoulder glaring over at him. Wesker stood across the room from her holding a Samurai Edge and smirking. She was getting better at hand to hand combat, and he wanted to see how she would handle this next step. He knew the perfectly aimed shots were painful, and he intended them to be. After the way she had been acting as of late, he was curious to see just what might trigger that malice he did not know she possessed until a few hours ago.

"What the hell was that for?" She snapped, glaring over at him. He stood a fair distance away from her. His stance was open feet spread, with the gun held level to his shoulders. The smirk on his face clearly showed that he was enjoying this.

"Do quit you're whining, Ms. Redfield. You are perfectly fine." He said in a bored tone before firing the gun again. The bullet hit exactly where he had intended it to. Despite the kickback he held the gun fairly steady. The Samurai Edge had always been a particular favorite of his and, although he had lost the one he had been using for years in the volcano in Africa, that hardly had any effect on his handling of the new one. The last time he had used a gun it had been when he was fighting Chris and, though he hardly needed the weapon, he always liked to be prepared for the unexpected.

The next shot hit her in the kneecap and she crumbled to the floor in pain. If it were her brother he would have delighted in the sound, but for some reason the fact that she kept being in pain was angering him. She had the capability to dodge these bullets with ease, and yet she was not utilizing her gift to the best of her abilities.

Pulling the trigger fluidly he said "I suggest you start dodging."

"Don't you think that gun is a little over kill?" She yelled rolling out of the way of another carefully aimed shot. His reply was to fire again, and she had to quickly jump to the left landing in a crouch ready for the next shot to be fired. She tried to focus on the scene in front of her. He stood in front of her, the smirk gone from his face, and instead his jaw was clenched. His trigger finger twitched, it was a mere second of hesitation before the next attack, but it was strange for her to see that. From what she had learned about him, if he intended to do something he did so always without any hesitation.

A second in a fight for someone like them could seem like an hour, and she was able to dodge that shot with ease, rolling to the right this time. The attacks went without hesitation for quite sometime, and, although most of the time she got out of the way, he didn't seem to be satisfied with her efforts.

"Pathetic. Is this really the best you can do?" He mocked as she fell to the floor gasping for air. She wasn't getting clear of the bullets as much as he would like. In all of their training, he had learned that anger was a good motivator for her and that she had this need to prove herself- if she thought she was disappointing someone she worked twice as hard. He always strived for perfection in whatever goal he was trying to achieve and he was holding her to the same standards.

The last bullet had defiantly pierced a lung, and for a moment she thought she was going to die again. She felt the blood in her lungs and as she knelt hunched over on the ground she began to cough up blood. She felt as though she was drowning, and she was really not looking forward to the black abyss that was death. The feeling passed as the virus inside her worked to quickly repair the damage. She glared over at him her jaw clenched in determination. He had not attacked her while she was recovering, and had instead taken the time to clean off his sunglasses. He had not looked at her until she had recovered and the shades were back on his face. She barely had time to react as he skillfully aimed the gun.

Time slowed as she leapt off the ground, watching as a bullet whizzed by her face. She didn't even bother to think about how she had achieved this. The bullets didn't matter, the target was Wesker. One shot later, and she had already closed the distance between them. She was quick. To the untrained eye it would have appeared as though she was teleporting from one point to another rather than moving with great speed.

He put the gun back in its shoulder hoister, before grabbing her foot- stopping the kick that was intended to send him flying across the room. He twisted the foot intending to break it. Spinning with the attack she used the momentum to throw him to the ground. She backed away as he recovered jumping up with a spin kick. She had reacted quickly but could still feel the wind brush past her from his attack.

They circled one another, making sure not to give the other their back, until Claire decided to act. Lunging forward she went in for the kill intending to strike him in the chest. He used her momentum against her as she reached for him, throwing her over him using the grip on her arm as leverage. In midair she grabbed onto the shoulders of his shirt, pulling him with her. Her back hit the floor, and she heard it crack beneath her. He almost landed on top of her, but managed to catch himself before this happened. The floor splintered even more as his hands connected with it, landing on either side of her head. He felt the coolness of metal through his shirt. The barrel of the gun aimed right at his heart.

"You're getting better." He stated looking at the gun and then at her. He was interested to see what she was going to do next. He noticed her eyes were a fiery red; he thought they suited her much better than the watery blue they often were. They were a reminder of what she was capable of. She was more lethal than the gun she held pressed to his chest and he was glad that she was finally starting to realize it. The virus he had created that now coursed through her veins was sheer perfection, a lifetime of work and the hidden potential of the human race housed in a rather unlikely host. She was proving to be more and more worthy of this accidently gift every day.

"Well, you know what they say: practice makes perfect right?" She said with a smirk.

"You're a long way from perfection." He stated though his tone held a hint of a teasing nature to it. He looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses and for a split second his red orbs met with her fiery gaze. It was only for a second because he then turned his attention to the weapon in her hand. "Are you planning on actually using that, or may I have it back now?" He goaded referring to the gun.

"Maybe I will. Let's see how you like being riddled with bullets." She scoffed; despite herself she could not hold the harshness of her glare and felt her lip curl into a smirk.

After a moment, he continued in a bored tone, "I'm not getting any younger here," before trying to reach for the gun. He was met with a dry click as she fired the weapon. His eyebrows rose, it was intriguing that she had actually fired the weapon. "Next time, I'd pay attention to how many rounds your opponent had left before taking their weapon." He scolded before reaching for the weapon that was between them. She let him take it; the gun was useless without any bullets anyways. He got up, straightening his shirt that had become ruffled during one of her attacks. It took her a moment to recover; she had not realized just how close they were until he had stood. The weight that he had been unable to support with his hands had left her, but his scent seemed to linger on her clothes.

He had a head start in leaving the room and she walked slightly behind him towards the door. Two strides later and she was at his side. She noticed his head tilt slightly as he glanced over at her. She turned to face him ready to defend herself against whatever snide comment he was about to unleash. The corner of his mouth merely twitched a bit before his looked straight ahead once again. When they reached the end of the hallways they both went their respective ways. Claire went upstairs to shower and change, while Wesker went back to the lab.

He had known the gun didn't have any bullets left the whole time. He was just curious as to what she was going to do. He concluded that her behavior as of late was intriguing to say the least. Although he had meant the statement about her being different than her brother merely as a way to anger her, he considered that there might be more truth to those words that he originally thought. Seeing as he despised Chris, the less she was like her brother the better. Although Chris had been useful from time to time, after seeing this new side of Claire perhaps she would be even more useful that he originally anticipated.

* * *

Leon, Chris, and Jill stood outside the manor where Leon had seen Claire a few hours ago. Judging by the amount of light on in the place, it seemed the party was over and the staff was cleaning up after the event.

Leon had come up with a plan that was rather simple really; they would use the front door. So there they stood after the doorbell had been rung, waiting for their answers. A young woman who looked like she was the housekeeper answered the door. Leon flashed his government badge before saying, "Hi there, I need to speak to the owners of this residence."

The maid let them into the foyer before running off to fetch someone. A moment later a young woman, in a skimpy dress came over looking concerned. "My husband has gone to sleep, and I really don't want to wake him. What seems to be the problem, officer?"

Leon let out a disarming laugh before saying, "Oh, I'm not a cop. I work for the government, ma'am. We just need to ask you a few questions about one of your guests."

"Please, call me Violet- ma'am makes me sound so old." Said the woman with a seductive smile.

"It's this woman right here. Her name is Claire Redfield." Chris interjected handing the woman a picture of Claire. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Oh, Claire, yes! Nice young lady. Is she in some kind of trouble or something?" She asked brow furrowed in confusion.

"That is what we are trying to find out." Said Leon. "Was she here with anyone else tonight?" He asking flashing the woman a charming smile, he didn't see Chris who was behind him rolling his eyes at the action.

"Albert brought her, actually. He works for my husband at their company. I had a photographer here at the party taking pictures during the event. I was just looking at them on the computer. I don't know if they would be much help, but you can look at them while I look for Albert's information. I'm sure my husband has a business card lying around here somewhere." Leon had a feeling this woman was completely clueless, but the fact that she didn't seem to realize her husband would probably not want her talking to them was helpful to their cause.

"That would be great." replied Leon before Violet started to usher them down the hall towards the study. Violet sat down at the desk for a moment entering in a bunch of passwords on the computer, all the while complaining about how paranoid her husband was.

"Oh, that picture would have been lovely if the flash hadn't given her red-eye." commented Violet with a pout as she scrolled though some of the pictures.

"May I?" asked Chris who had been standing by the computer, but had not wanted to crowd her, so wasn't standing too close.

"Of course, let me go and get that information for you." Said Violet before exiting the room.

"Well, that was surprisingly easy." Said Leon watching her leave.

"She's completely clueless about what her husband does, that's for sure." Scoffed Jill. She almost felt sorry for the woman, but there wasn't time for that. She noticed Chris, who had been standing in front of the screen studying the picture a moment ago, turned away suddenly. He clenched his fists and started to pace. He was clearly upset by what he had seen and was trying his best to contain it.

Jill and Leon looked over at the picture. Claire was wearing an elegant evening gown and she was laughing as she shook hands with an elderly gentleman. Wesker stood beside her with an arm around her waist. Jill noticed he was not wearing a jacket, and assumed the one draped around Claire's shoulders belonged to him. From all that time she had spent around Wesker, even though she could not control her actions, she had learned a few things about him.

Wesker was always tense and guarded; he never turned his back on anyone he thought was a treat. He always stood in a way that meant he could easy counter an attack, and he always had a weapon one quick movement away from being used. The way he was in the picture though, was definitely the closest she had seen him to relaxing. Claire and the elderly gentlemen stood facing one another, but Wesker was less open, the shoulder closer to the gentlemen was raised slighting as though preparing to block an attack. He was shielding weak points of the body from the man, but his chest was pointed towards Claire leaving them open to her. Jill could hardly believe it but it looked as though he was almost protecting of Claire, just as prepared to defend her as he was himself.

The most un-nerving part of the picture, however, was her eyes. Violet had mistaken them for red-eye from the flash, but Jill had seen eyes like this before. She imagined this was what upset Chris because he probably hadn't read too much into the rest of the scene like she did. Perhaps he noticed too, but he would be in denial about it for quite some time.

"I'm sure we can find a cure." She said trying to reassure him. She put a hand on his shoulder and felt the tension in it relax slightly at her words. He didn't have time to respond because the elderly gentleman from the photo was now standing in the doorway.

"My wife has just informed me you are looking for information regarding Albert Wesker?" His voice was calm but his expression was angry.

"That is correct sir," said Leon looking at the man with interest.

"Do you have a warrant to be searching my house?" He inquired, conversationally.

"No," replied Leon getting the feeling that they should probably try and leave now. Technically, once they had been given permission to enter the house they no longer needed the warrant, but he had a feeling that this man was dangerous and they didn't have the resources to deal with someone like him right now.

"I'm sorry my wife can be a bit, well, empty headed at times, and has mistakenly allowed you to be here. Now it is late, and I must ask you to leave. If you wish to investigate the matter further, you may return with the proper paperwork." Although he stated this calmly, there was sharpness to his gaze that suggested they best do as they were told.

"Come on, I think we have overstayed our welcome." Said Jill ushering the two men out of the room with her before they could try anything stupid. She had a feeling someone like this man was not the type of person to piss off; he was well connected and brute force was not the way to deal with someone like him.

Once they got back to the car, Leon kicked one of the tires. "Damn it! We were so close to getting somewhere. That woman might have given us Wesker's actual whereabouts."

"I doubt his business card would have had his address on it, Leon-a phone number maybe, but what good would that had done?" Scoffed Chris. He was almost glad they hadn't gotten any further tonight. His mind felt like it was about to explode with all the information they had obtained in the past few hours. He couldn't help but feel like the moment one thing in his life started going good something else started to fall apart.

He couldn't get that photo out of his head. The woman in the photo hardly looked like Claire: sure it was the same face, same hair, same body, but things were different. The Claire he knew wouldn't just be standing there, wouldn't be shaking hands with people like that man, and wouldn't look happy when she was around Wesker. Her eyes were a fiery red- they were like Wesker's eyes and the thought of his sister and Wesker having anything in common was making him so angry it was almost maddening.

He didn't know what the hell was going on, but he knew what he had to do. He needed to find her and find a cure for whatever it was Wesker had done to her. He would make everything right again.

**Don't forget to review please. I always love to hear feedback from my readers.**


	11. Past Echoes

**Sorry it's taken so long to update, but school work has keep both my beta and I busy and therefore there was a delay. Hope you enjoy the chapter. **

The objective Ada Wong had been working towards would seem simple to most people, but four words had made it rather complicated. She knew what she was getting into all those years ago, and she imagined that if the woman who had taken that assignment saw her today she would hardly recognize herself.

Her assignment was to find and eliminate Alex Wesker. Although that seemed like an easy task for someone with her experience, it was the second part of the assignment that made it difficult: by any means necessary.

"By any means necessary" meant that in order to get this job done she was going to have to do things that were questionable. It was how she had ended up working for Albert Wesker and the Agency, and now for Genzyme. Each organization had meant she was one step closer to her goal, and now she was so close she could literally reach out and touch it.

Alexandria Wesker had been a difficult person to find. In fact, to most people Alex Wesker did not even exist. This was probably because she went by many names; currently she was best known as Angela Williams, the wife of Senator Williams.

Instead of her traditional suit jacket she wore a lab coat, but her hair was still pulled back in a similar fashion. She grimaced as she poured over the information on the computer. She turned to the scientist standing next to her who wringing his hands nervously.

"So…you see the problem then…" He stuttered wincing as her cold gaze fell on him instead of the screen.

"Yes, I do." She calmly stated as she pulled out her phone before dialing a number. The scientist's phone rang in his pocket. They stood there staring at one another before she coolly asked "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"Yes…I…" Said the scientist reaching for the company issued phone with shaking hands. A few of the other researchers glanced over hesitantly for they knew what was coming next but were aware they could not stop their work. When the scientist held the phone up to his ear, he froze as the veins in his face suddenly became very visible. His eyes grew wide as the paralysis spread throughout his body and he collapsed on the floor. Two men from security came into the room and picked him up off the ground taking him away.

She then turned to one of the other researchers. "Mr. Johnson, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am?" He said calmly thought his hand was shaking a bit.

"You've been promoted. I suggest you re-sequence the RNA properly." She said as she walked away from the computer and towards where Ada had been standing watching the scene unfold. She was just glad she had the sense to take that chip out of her company issued phone. There had been a program on there that released an ultra-sonic pulse that caused temporary paralysis. She didn't know where the security team took all those people, but she knew it couldn't be good. From what she understood once they took you through those doors you were pretty much erased from existence.

"Do you have the intel I asked for?"

"Yes." Said Ada handing her a computer chip. It would be awhile before she could eliminate Alex. The woman was well connected and if she wanted to really get the job done she needed to take out Genzyme as well. The best way to do this would to be Alex's right hand man as it were. A task easier said than done of course. Alex played things close to the vest, making it nearly impossible to find a weakness. But Ada was patient, she had waited this long so what was the rush? Or at least that was what she had thought.

As always, Leon had managed to complicate things. She had tried to warn him about being around the Senator. It seemed, however, that he had proven that he was capable and therefore a threat. From what Ada could tell, one of Alex Wesker's plans involved getting rid of all the old players. She had come to this conclusion after the mysterious disappearance of a reporter, Alyssa Ashcroft, who had somehow managed to survive the Raccoon City incident.

She imagined that Alex had somehow managed to lure Leon to that Christmas party perhaps hoping that someone from the Agency would take care of it for her. She had almost succeeded too, if it hadn't been for Claire Redfield, Wesker would have surely killed him. In doing so however Claire had gotten herself noticed, which was why Ada had been sent to acquire information on her.

Alex put the chip into the computer and began to quickly scan through the information. "So that is why you are keeping her around." She mused looking at a photo of Claire and Wesker from the Christmas Party. Ada noticed that although she often said certain thoughts aloud, they never had much useful information. It was as though Alex would forget that there were people around her.

"Miss Wong, I have a new assignment for you. It's not your usual acquiring of information, but since you seem to be the only competent one here the task falls to you. I need you to get rid of a government agent by the name of Leon S. Kennedy. I understand that you are familiar with whom I am speaking?" Alex seemed to be focusing more of her attention on the screen ahead of her than Ada. Still Ada kept her face neutral at the mention of Leon, she had learned that Alex was always watching people even when it seemed like she wasn't**.**

"Yes, I am." Said Ada her expression calm as her mind reeled trying to think of a plan.

"Good." She purred, and Ada took this as her cue to leave. As she got into the elevator she noticed that Alex was a few paces behind her.

"Hold the door." Alex politely stated, though anyone with any sense working here would have without a moment of hesitation.

* * *

Arnold Fletcher knew he was his days were numbered and it was for this reason that he was unable to sleep as he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. He and his wife had argued earlier that evening so he was alone. Although it had been snowing earlier in the evening, the weather had now turned into an icy rain that clinked against the windows. With Tricell going under after the whole Africa incident the Agency had turned to investing their finances in other researching companies, one such company was Genzyme. In the past the Agency had always had more control over the companies they oversaw, but Genzyme had been different.

Genzyme already had friends in high places and was well connect even before the Agency had joined them. Arnold had not known this at the time and now because of it, it seemed as though the Agency was working for Genzyme and not the other way around.

For a moment the rain stopped hitting the window, and Arnold turned and jumped with fright as a figure stood in front of the window closing it behind her. The strange thing was even in this down pour the woman managed to stay dry.

"I was wondering when you would get here, Mrs. Williams." He said with interest. He knew she was not the type to tolerate failure, but perhaps if he told her about the woman Albert had brought with him the information might be valuable enough to buy him some time?

She walked over to a large mirror in the room fixing a stray hair that had fallen out of her bun. "Please, I'm hardly in public. If you address me, you may do so with my given name." She snapped icily. She turned to face him and he felt himself flinch slightly under the harshness of her gaze. There was always something about her that made his skin crawl and not in the good way. "Arnold, was the task I gave you in any way unclear?"

"No-it's just- there was someone else there. I thought he would kill the agent and then I would figure out a way to dispose of him, but he brought someone. I've never seen her before but she must be important…I can tell you her name just please, don't kill me. I can fix this." He stammered, stumbling over his words as he tried desperately to find a way to spare himself. Arnold Fletcher was usually a rather calm and collected man, but in the face of death he had felt panic set in.

She looked down at the elegant watch on her wrist. "The serum I injected you with while you slept should have killed you 2 minutes ago. But science has always been a rather trial and error process." She explained in an almost conversational manner.

Arnold did not respond he began writhing in pain. Drool dripped out the corner of his mouth as he convulsed. Alex just stood there and watched as the man stilled with his last breath. Now that that was taken care of, Alex pulled out her phone to make some important calls. In a few hours this place would be swarming with cops and Arnold Fletcher's wife Violet would be blamed for his death. She headed down the hallway and smirked as she shut the door behind her, she did always love when things worked out so well.

* * *

Claire was getting better at dodging bullets now, but it had taken a few days worth of training to get her to this stage. She was becoming close to being in complete control of her abilities. She blocked most of Wesker's attack and was actually able to do some damage to him now. She considered her best accomplishment dashing; as long as she was focused when she dashed she usually ended up where she wanted to be. After another training session, she had gone upstairs to shower. When she came back downstairs she expected to find Wesker down in the lab but noticed the door to the communication room was open so she ventured in there instead.

He wasn't sitting in the large chair in the center of the dark room like she had thought he would be; which caused her to worry a bit. _Where the hell was he?_ It was then that she noticed a crack of light in the far wall of the room. She approached with caution, unsure as to what the source of the light was. When she got closer she realized it was a door that had not been closed all the way- if it had it would have looked like a piece of the wall.

The room was significantly brighter than the dark communication room. Everything was white and there were rows upon rows of objects that looked like large refrigerators. Claire walked towards one of them inspecting it. There was a serial number T2698 printed in black lettering on the front next to a keypad that probably unlocked the capsule. There was also a tiny circular window that looked into the capsule and it was what Claire saw inside it that hit a nerve.

It was a young woman probably in her mid-twenties; her face had holes in it where her skin had rotted off. Her eyes were closed but Claire imagined that they must have been milky-white and probably held the cold dead stare. She had run into people who looked like this woman during the Raccoon City Incident. The T in the serial number probably stood for the T-virus, but she could not be sure what the numbers stood for; she only hoped that it wasn't the number of subjects.

She proceeded down a different hallway made by the rows of people. Most of the people were labeled with T, LP, or U but there was one label in particular that caught her attention. TV1798, TV she knew stood for T-Veronica and she only knew this for certain was because she actually knew the person that was inside this particular capsule.

She reached up a hand to touch the glass as she stared at the boy from memories long ago. Steve Burnside had been a welcome ally on Rockfort Island all those years ago. He looked exactly the same- the world had gone on all around him while he remained locked in this frozen prison. She had a sudden urge to open the capsule. She could easily rip the door off its hinges, but she hesitated.

She wasn't sure if he was even alive and what would she do once she let him out. She looked back down at the label-TV1798- he had been reduced to a serial number. Her hand squeezed the edge of the capsule and the metal crunched beneath her hand. She heard footsteps and knew this action must have alerted Wesker, who was somewhere in this room. He was drawing nearer and yet she stood her ground.

She turned and looked down the hall to see him standing there, his all black ensemble in sharp contrast between the white room. When she saw him something inside her just snapped; after all he was the one responsible for doing this to them.

She was glaring at him as she felt anger rising up inside her of. Without thinking she acted. She closed the distance between them, her open palm connecting with his chest and sending him flying across the room.

His back collided with the opposite wall. He had not been expecting this reaction from her. He had expected her to go into a tirade about how keeping people like this was wrong- not to attack him physically. Running forwards she intended to deliver strong kick to his ribcage. He was ready for her and dodged the attacking rolling to the left. Her foot connected with the wall and it cracked under the force. Pushing off the wall she swung her other leg around for a spin kick. He grabbed her leg and used her momentum to swing her full circle slamming her into the wall. It cracked further when her back collided with the cement.

She struggled and tried to punch him in the jaw to free herself. He used his body to pin her to the wall and trapped her hands above her head. She glared at him still trying to break free.

"How did you get down here?" He barked squeezing her wrists tighter.

She ignored the question and instead snapped. "They had names! They aren't products that need some kind of god damn serial number!"

"I'm aware." He stated. She tried to break free again and he said "This room is full of just about every dangerous virus know to man. I'm not letting you go until I a certain you're not going to try and break things."

She stopped struggling and he took this as a sign that she was going to comply with these terms. He stepped aside allowing her to walk towards the subject she had been looking at before. He followed close behind ready in case she acted out again.

He wondered whether she had found someone of particular interest it or if she was just against the concept in general. Upon further inspection he realized why she was so upset. This particular subject was the boy from Rockfort Island, the one she had inquired about right before he had to go and deal with Chris. He looked to her hand and noticed the firm grip she had on the metal. "There's no use in opening that- he's dead."

"I know, I was there when it happened!" She snapped trying not the think of that night. But she remembered it with perfect clarity. She had been young then, and Steve would have technically been the first boy to admit he had loved her. She had a feeling most people her age never had to deal with watching someone die in their arms; she had only been 19. Legally an adult but still very young to have to deal with something like that. She stared back over at the capsule for a moment before turning her attention back towards Wesker. She clenched her fist as she shouted "You should know, you were the one who took him. Is this what happens once we're no longer useful to you? What is my number going to be?"

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "Well if I went with the usual cataloging system. that would be UW3110." He stated in a rather bored tone. He had a feeling this statement would only anger her further, but he was rather hoping she would just leave. He had more important things to be dealing with right now. He had a feeling however this would not be the case, lately their arguments did not end in her storming upstairs but rather the two of them standing toe to toe sizing one another up. Eventually it would end in a physical altercation, during which he would have to put her in her place and wait until she calmed down.

"Seriously!" she scoffed appalled at how easily he could dismiss people by reducing them to nothing more than a series of letter and numbers.

"Don't ask questions if you are not prepared for the answers." He scolded before turning to walk back down the hall. She seemed to be calm enough now where she wasn't going to be violent and he had work to do. Claire however had other plans. She walked after him and seethed "I'm not just some_thing_ that you can slap a number and seal up in a lab."

"Oh, really?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "And what makes you so _special_, dear heart?"

"I don't know. You tell me." She threatened. She realized she was heading into dangerous waters, if she was not careful she knew she would find herself locked away in one of these capsules for the rest of her life. Perhaps it is because she had just seen Steve, but she was feeling reckless.

That comment had been unexpected. Her fighting skills were not the only thing she seemed to be improving on. She was getting better at this game of cat and mouse they were playing and he supposed it was his own fault for encouraging it. If he were to be completely honest with himself, he enjoyed the challenge. It had been quite a long time since he had in the presence of anyone he could consider being close to an equal.

The last person had been William Birkin, a scientist for Umbrella. William was a brilliant scientist, even more so than Wesker himself, and they shared a similar sense of ambition. Unfortunately William had not adapted well to the virus he had worked so hard to create, which ultimately lead to his downfall. It was a pity really, William had been rather important in shaping Wesker's future plans.

Now here was Claire Redfield, who could in no way keep up with him intellectually, but had done what Birkin could not. She had achieved a level of higher power by successfully merging with the virus in her bloodstream. She had drive and, although certain Redfield tendencies often got in the way, she was proving to have quite a bit of potential.

The corner of his mouth upturned slightly. Although he would never admit it aloud, perhaps this round went to her. He turned his attention back to the capsule where Steve was being kept. She had managed to dent the metal quite a bit, but it didn't seem to have affected the integrity of the structure.

Claire just stood there not really sure what to do next. He seemed to have brushed off the comment, but the fact that he did not have some sort of perfectly devastating comeback made her think that perhaps she had actually won an argument. She decided not to push the matter and just take it for what it was. She should just be thankful that for some reason he didn't feel the need to lock her away and therefore should be content with this notion.

"So, I take it he didn't come back then?" She asked looking over at the capsule where Steve was being kept.

"No, and so far the T-Veronica sample has proved to be rather useless." Said Wesker turning his attention away from the specimen to look at her for a moment.

"And he isn't in pain or anything?" She asked biting her lip as she looked into the glass.

"He's dead." He stated.

"Yeah, well, technically, I'm dead and that doesn't seem to have stopped me." She scoffed.

"The chamber keeps him in a state of homeostasis; all the specimens here feel nothing they simply are."

"There're not specimens; there're people." She snapped glaring over at him.

He did not have time to answer, however, because his phone rang. "Wesker." He said into the devise. "No, I've been…busy." He said glancing over at Claire for a moment before looking ahead and nodding as the other person responded. "Well, I don't really see how this is my problem." He calmly stated causing the person on the other line to sound a bit panicked. "You're going to have to sort this out yourself." He said before hanging up.

"Um…what was that about?" She asked hesitantly after a moment of silence between the two of them.

"Arnold Fletcher is dead." He mused. This attack had been unexpected now but still inevitable, people in Fletcher's position often didn't keep it for long. Perhaps this was a cue to leave the Agency, since it was showing the tell-tale signs of decline.

"Wait, I met him. Isn't he your boss?" She asked with interest.

"Technically, he was my boss- but I don't think I will be working with the Agency anymore." He said before starting to head back towards the communication room. If Fletcher was dead that means all the information on his home computer could easily fall into the wrong hands, he also imagined that there was valuable information that could be useful to him. There would be a small window of opportunity available to obtain the files before the Police or BSAA started investigating the manor too much. He had a feeling Arnold might have keep some creatures that would certainly draw attention.

Once in the communication room, he pulled up information on the event. According to the report Fletcher was murdered by his wife- this story seemed unlikely to Wesker because that woman lacked the mental strength to plan a murder. He considered sending Ada to retrieve the files, but he was finding that when time was of the essence Miss Wong did not always produce the results he was looking for in a timely manner; especially, if somehow Mr. Kennedy became involved. Her affection for him would one day be her downfall.

This basically meant that he would have to do the task himself. The only problem with this plan now stood beside him. Although she had been useful at the party, it was clear that she wasn't sure where her true loyalties lay. She was like working with unstable chemicals, safe in a controlled lab setting but not in the real world. He was unsure as to what he could do with her for the time being.

Claire studied the information that was on the screen in front of her. There was no way that Violet could have killed her husband. For one thing Violet was far too nice and well, she also wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and this looked far to organized. She glanced over at Wesker and noticed his brow furrowed in thought as he looked not at the monitor but over at her.

* * *

They had been so close to finding Claire once again, but now it seemed as though they had hit another dead end. It had been a week since they had found the manor that Leon had seen Claire at. After following a cold trail for a while, the three of them found themselves back at their normal jobs once again.

Leon had promised in his free time to keep on searching as much as he could, but Chris hadn't heard from the agent in a few days and it was starting to worry him. He had been sitting at his desk staring down at the paperwork he still hadn't finished yet. Thankfully, he didn't have to work on it anymore as his boss called him into one of the conference rooms. He took a seat next to Jill and looked around at the other people at the table. There was a young woman, whose name Chris could not recall for the life of him, but he remembered she was a pretty good BSAA agent. Also, around the table where a few young new recruits fresh out of training.

"What's going on?" He whispered to Jill who was looking over at their boss who was standing at the head of the table.

"No idea." She said with a shrug.

Brian Goodman, their boss, turned on the projector that sat on the table. A picture of a man that looked very familiar to Chris appeared on the screen behind Brian. Chris looked over at Jill who looked equally shocked. It was the man from the manor they had visited a few days ago.

"Arnold Fletcher, it turns out, belonged to an organization we know as the Agency, and was a rather prominent member. The police found his body in his home early this morning and after a quick scan of the house, they found that some BOW's stored in the basement and they want us to investigate it further." Explained Brian.

Chris and Jill exchanged a nervous glance. The idea of going into a mansion that was possibility full of hostile BOW's brought back some memories that they would both rather not re-live. Last time the thought of catching Spencer once and for all had justified going into a manor full of BOW's but now the possibly of finding more information on Claire was making him able to face this again. If he was able to look around a bit he might be able to find some information about where Claire might be.

He was a worried about the rest of the group that would be going with them. He knew Jill was prepared for whatever could happen in the manor, but a lot of the other people with them were rookies. They were well trained sure, but they couldn't really know what was in store for them. Perhaps Jill was right and they had become rather paranoid over the years. He couldn't explain it thought, but for some reason he had a sinking feeling that something in the manor would go horribly wrong.

* * *

Claire wasn't sure how she always managed to get herself in difficult situations. Her choice had been either to stay locked in the room with the capsules or go with Wesker to where ever it was he planned on going to conduct business that he hadn't really told her about. She had a feeling it had something to do with Arnold Fletcher, but she didn't know exactly what he planned to do.

It became rather evident when the expensive car pulled up to a rather familiar drive. There had been very few places she had been since she was infected, mostly labs, but this was defiantly the driveway that lead to Arnold Fletcher's house. She recognized the tall cypress trees that lined the drive- last time they had been lit up with Christmas lights but now they were bare.

When the car came to a stop Wesker got out. Claire wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow him or just stay in the car. The answer was provided for her when he opened the passenger door and stood there waiting. She stepped outside and followed him as they walked up to the front door. In one hand he held a brief case, and with the other he pulled out a lock found it a bit odd for Wesker to use a lock pick, she imagined it would be useful for him to have such a skill but to actually have to put it to use was almost funny. The task was such a hands on task, and Wesker seemed the type to usually delegate a task rather than do it himself, but Claire reasoned that if he wasn't working with the Agency anymore he would have fewer resources at his command. He set the brief case down, before kneeling, and starting to use the lock pick to open the door. Claire just stood there beside him shifting back and forth uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what her role was here besides just not being a nuisance.

Once the door was opened, he quickly made his way down the hallway until he found Arnold's office. The place appeared to be untouched. The forensic team must have not done much looking around, which was beneficial to him. He went to the computer and began to look for any files that might be important.

Claire grabbed some paperwork off of the desk and settled in one of the armchairs on the room. The familiar clanking of keyboard keys filled the room. She let out a sigh when she realized just how boring reading someone's bank statements were. She was felt like she was in a rut, even when she got to go outside and go to a different location, she still managed to end up doing the same boring tasks.

The typing paused when she let out her sigh. He looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses and said, "If you are really that bored, you could at least make yourself useful. He probably hid some important information in the library as well." Judging by how compliant she was at the moment she could be useful to him and he was interested to see how she would react to the suggestion. Although she had been helpful on rare occasion she was generally resistant to the idea.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out if she was bored enough to actually go wandering around this place alone. After thinking about it for a little bit she realized that even if there were BOWs loose it wasn't as though she couldn't handle them. She could easily outrun them, or take them down with her strength. She felt a little ridiculous for even being worried about BOWs, but sometimes she forgot just how powerful she was now. "And where is the library at?"

"West-wing of the house." He stated as he went back to typing in some passwords on the computer.

She got up from the armchair, figuring she might as well do something to keep herself busy while she was here. If she found anything actually useful she supposed she could always just hide it from him. She headed towards the door but his words stopped her. "Wait, take this before you go."

She turned to face him, heading towards the desk where he stood holding an earpiece in his hand. She opened her palm and he dropped the devise into her hand. She started to head towards the door again when he cautioned "Don't try anything reckless." The statement was not so much a concern for her personal safely but more a subtle way of warning her not to do anything stupid, like try and escape. He didn't want to flat out tell her this because he didn't want to give her any ideas, she didn't have any of the tell-tale signs that she was about to try a reckless escape plan.

She just rolled her eyes before finally heading out the door. She knew the statement had been a kind of warning, but she was glad that he trusted her enough to not flat out say it. Of course anytime she left the house the thought of escape crossed her mind even if just for a fleeting moment, but she was beginning to realize everyone she cared about would be safer if she stayed put.

She looked down the long hallway ahead of her and realized that it looked familiar. The door to her left was defiantly the room she had talked with Leon in. She wandered around for quite some time; eventually, she found the library and began to open many of the drawers in of on the large file cabinets on the far wall.

She had found nothing that seemed important so far, but as she looked through some of the files she heard something that was out of the ordinary. The house had been fairly quite the entire time she had been there thus far, but now her hearing was picking up on an unfamiliar voice.

"West corridor seems secure." Said the voice.

"Yeah, stay on your toes though; this place gives me the creeps." Said another voice.

Judging by how loud they were it sounded like they were right outside the door. She paused trying to stay as quiet as possible because she didn't know what kind of intruders they could be. Luck was never really a strong trait for her, she thought as she noticed the door being carefully opened.

She stopped her search of the file cabinet and turned to face the intruders. She was tensed and ready to defend herself should the occasion arise. The intruders were two young men probably in his mid twenties and they stared at Claire with almost as much confusion as she did them.

He had his weapon draw and it was pointed directly at her. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a rather demanding tone. His comrade got in the same defensive stance.

Claire paused, it was a simple enough question, but the answer was rather complex in nature. "Look, I don't want to hurt you- just lower your weapons and get out of here." She cautioned.

"This house belonged to a prominent member of the Agency. We've been ordered to take anyone found here in for questioning." Stated the man who had spoke before. Neither of them had lowered their weapons.

Claire was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew the Agency had enemies most of which she would consider her friends, but she couldn't see if these people had any logos on and therefore she did not know if she could trust them. Some of the people who were against the Agency were rival pharmaceutical companies, and she didn't think it would be a good idea if someone like her fell into their hands.

The best course of action would be to disarm them and then find Wesker so they could get out of here. Judging the distance between herself and them she realized it would be rather easy to disarm them. She lunged, before dashing forwards, aiming to hit one of them in the chest. When her foot connected with his chest she heard a deafening crunch. His body was soft and she could feel the bones in his chest shattered under her attack. The force of the kick sent him flying across the room and crashing into one of the bookshelves.

His comrade panicked, but had a quick trigger finger, aiming the handgun and firing it. The bullet whizzed past her face and she moved quickly to the left, effectively dodging the bullet. She pivoted and her hand connected with his face, the force of the blow knocking him to the ground.

It frightened her how easily she had disabled them. It wasn't like fighting Wesker, these people were weak. One well aimed attack and their bones break; a push could send them reeling. The one who had fired at her let out a groan of pain, but his friend remained still.

She headed towards the man who lay still on the other side of the room. Once she got closer to him, she felt her heart skip a beat. She knelt down to see if he was okay, but instead noticed the logo on his shirt sleeve. There was the globe with the familiar lettering across it. He was a member of the BSAA. She jumped back as though the man had burned her. She had hurt members of the BSAA- the organization her brother worked for.

She stood over the man who lay still on the floor. Fearing for the worst, she hoped beyond hope that she hadn't done anything she would regret. She hadn't meant to harm them this much. She knelt down beside the man checking for a vital sign, she felt a faint heart beat. Her attack had knocked him unconscious and he was bleeding quite a lot from the kick she had delivered to his chest, as well as from the force of his back hitting the bookcase. She had been so focused on the man in front of her she hadn't been listening to the one behind her. He had recovered and she heard the gunshot just earlier enough for her to dodged the attack leaping to the right and landing in a crouch. She realized the dodge was not entirely necessary because the shot have been taken so hastily that it had ended up hitting a book next to his comrade's head.

"What the hell are you, some kind of BOW?" Shouted the man firing another shot. She dodged the attack with ease, and was in front of him in an instant. She grabbed the arm and twisted causing him to drop the weapon he was holding. She brought his arm around folding it behind his back and slamming him into the wall. There was something about the comment that had struck a nerve and she felt anger rise in her chest.

"I'm not some god damn BOW!" She seethed her eyes flashing a fiery red.

"What are you then?" asked the man.

"I don't know…I… but I'm not a BOW that's for sure." She snapped before letting the man go. She took a step away from him not wanting to hurt him any further. She let out a sigh and said, "You really should get out of here. Trust me; you don't want to get involved in all of this."

The man eyed her with caution as he walked past her towards his fallen comrade. He helped him to his feet still keeping most of his attention on Claire, who was just standing there in the center of the room watching the whole event take place. She hadn't meant to hurt them, but she noticed a difference between herself and these men the instant she had started fighting them. It wasn't like fighting Wesker, a single blow caused their bones to break and a kick that sent them flying across the room would cause them to need to take time to recover.

She noticed the man try to us his communication device, but one of her attacks must have somehow damaged it because he seemed to be unable to get a hold of anyone. When he and his partner left she heard a voice in her earpiece so she paused and listened to what he had to say.

* * *

Wesker had been working on the computer to retrieve data and hadn't heard from Claire which he assumed meant there were no issues, but when he heard a gunshot in the distance he knew they might have some problems.

He hacked into the security camera feed for the house. He looked at one screen in particular with interest. The BSAA must have sent a team to search the house. It seemed as though Claire was taking care of two of the member with relative ease which intrigued were the heavy-handed sloppy attacks she would have usually used. Now her attacks were calculated and well executed, although she often resisted the idea of being anything like him, perhaps on a subconscious level his training was actually working. Though judging by the look of shock on her face at the action, she didn't seem to realize just who they were or who they worked for.

He glanced at the other screens; it seemed as though Miss Valentine and someone he did not know were proceeding down the hallway closest to him. This however did not concern him, what bothered him was the person in the hall closest to Claire. He was in no mood to deal with Chris Redfield at the moment. He looked back at the screen. Claire was now standing alone in the library.

"Dear heart, I heard gunshots, is there a problem?" He drawled all the while trying to think of the best course of action for a quick getaway. He had acquired the information he need and that was all he had planned to accomplish from this venture. Revenge was not a priority at the moment.

"Um… the BSAA is here…" She replied.

"I see. Stay where you are." He had a feeling that perhaps if she was quiet enough her brother might just walk right by her- still perhaps some reassurance might be nice. A plan quickly formed when he glanced at a feed from one of the camera's in the basement. Perhaps if the _pets_ Arnold had kept in the basement somehow managed to get out, the BSAA would be distracted.

**So yes, I have decided to make Alex a girl, they never really specify gender and I think a lot of people just assume male. I thought it would be interesting to think outside the box a bit. Well, feedback is always welcomed so review please. **


	12. Choices

**Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I was looking for a new beta-reader because the one I had for this story originally is very busy. So now my story will be beta read by Nightshade727. Anyways, here is the next chapter, enjoy. **

The team sent into the manor was not the sort of group Chris would have picked to send into a mission like this. Sure, it seemed like a cut and dry trip; just investigating some BOWs but, there was something about the familiarity that was making Chris uneasy. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn't have the best history when it came to missions in mansions.

They had split up into two groups, the better trained new recruits Travis and Brent went towards the west-wing of the house while he, Jill, and Mark, the newest recruit, stuck together. They headed towards the basement, but Mark stopped to look at some of the photos on the wall. Chris glanced over for a second and noticed that the man in the photos was with a different woman in almost every one. Jill must have noticed this was well because she let out a sound of disapproval. Chris was just about to tell Mark that they needed to keep moving when a gunshot from down the hall moments later caused everyone's attention to turn towards the west-wing. After trying to call Travis and Brent and receiving nothing but static Chris said "I'll go and see what that was, you two check the east-wing."

Jill looked as though she was about to protest but decided not to. Chris had been put in charge of this team, something he had never really done before and she didn't want to make it difficult. So she and Mark proceeded down the east-wing.

Chris worked his way through the labyrinth of hallways until he ran into Travis who was supported by Brent as the two walked down the hall.

"What happened? We lost contact with you," said Chris with a sense of urgency. Travis was clearly injured and the sooner he knew what had caused it the better. He pulled out a health spray for the two of them to use.

"Someone attacked us. I've never seen anyone move like that," said Travis who was now standing on his own thanks to the health spray.

"Our bullets didn't even phrase her. We're in over our heads! We need to get out of here and get re-enforcements," explained Brent eyes wide with disbelief. His voice shook as he spoke and in his shock he waved his hands around in a wild motion.

"Wait, what attacked you?" asked Chris. He got his answer in a rather different form than he would have liked when he heard a voice in his coms device he had not heard in a long time.

"I've run into an unexpected delay, dear heart, come down to the basement," drawled the voice of his former captain.

"Yeah, 'cause I know where the basement is," scoffed his sister. They must somehow all be on the same frequency and now he could hear their conversation. He felt his fist clench when he heard Wesker call his sister dear heart. He continued to listen holding up a hand to stop Travis from asking a question and interrupting his concentration.

"Are you still in the library?"

"Yes, I do actually listen to you sometimes," she said with a bit of laugher in her voice. Chris noticed she was talking to him like she would anyone else, not like a captor or enemy.

"On second thought stick to the original plan," Wesker replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

Chris looked over at Travis and Brent who looked confused by the conversation they had just heard. Chris did not offer any explanation and told them to go and find Jill. He headed to the library with a sense of urgency, fuming at the fact that Wesker had somehow managed to survive and now he was here.

* * *

Claire was pacing back and forth in the library trying to figure out what to do now. She realized that Wesker was probably delayed by someone else from the BSAA and she only hoped that whoever it was got away okay.

She paused when she heard someone approach the library door. They were carrying way too much gear to be Wesker, but she was trapped and there was nowhere to hide in the room; bookshelves lined the walls and the floor space was left empty. The door banged open and Chris charged into the room pulling out his gun and scanning the room for an attacker. She tensed ready to have to deal with just another random agent. Determination turned to shock however, when she realized it was her brother.

"Chris!" She exclaimed running towards him and hugging him. In her happiness to see a familiar face she had forgotten where she was right now and everything that had happened.

He hadn't even seen her cross the room. Although he was happy to see her, he couldn't help but wonder if she was the one that Travis and Brent had sustained so many injuries from. When she hugged him it felt like he had been hit by a brick wall. He expected her to somehow be under Wesker's control but, judging by the warm welcome her actions were most likely her own-a notion that was even more troubling than if she had been under Wesker's control.

"Claire, what are you doing here? My team said they were attacked, is there a BOW loose?" He asked, trying not to jump to any conclusions. She had stepped away from him when she noticed him wince under the embrace. She had been so excited to see him she had forgotten her own strength.

Claire bit her lip, feeling guilty about what she had done and not really sure how to explain it to her brother. "I…" she said before he looked over at her in shock.

"You attacked them?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know who they were!" She said defensively. It wasn't as though she had intended to hurt them, it just happened.

"And what the hell are you doing here in the first place? If Wesker kidnapped you but left you unattended why aren't you running?" He shouted, his temper flaring at her response.

"I…" She started to say but then a voice in the doorway answered for her. She had not even heard him approach.

"She was helping me acquire intel," Wesker explained with a smirk, as he sauntered into the room, surveying the scene in front of him. This is going to be too easy, he thought to himself delighting in the idea of tormenting Chris.

"Bullshit! Do you honestly expect me to believe my sister is working for someone like you?" seethed Chris, pointing his gun at Wesker.

"Hey, I'm not working for him," she snapped glaring over at Wesker. She had a feeling he would not like the defiance but being around Chris again made her want to fight back.

"That is true; working for me would imply that I need to pay you for your assistance," he drawled in an amused tone, the smirk still not leaving his features. Claire's glare intensified as she looked over at Wesker, knowing that the comment would get to her brother and she didn't like what it implied even though it wasn't true.

Chris took a step to the side so that Claire was standing directly behind him.

"I'm not letting you anywhere near my sister. This time, I'm making sure you stay dead!" He said through gritted teeth before firing the gun.

Wesker dodged the attack with ease, taking a quick step to the side and saying with a smirk "Did you honestly think that was going to work, Christopher?"

In another instant he had dashed forward to knee Chris in the chest. His attack did not hit his intended target; Claire had used her speed to also dash and end up in the middle of the two men. She raised her hands to block the attack and his knee connected with her open palms. They had both been moving so quickly that when they collided they were both knocked back a bit. Chris, who had dive rolled out of the way to dodge the attack, now stood to the left of Wesker and his sister.

Wesker was glaring at Claire, his jaw clenched in a manner that clearly showed he was pissed. Chris knew that glare all too well; it was a look anyone on STARS who didn't fill out their paperwork properly would never forget. Chris used the brief second that Wesker was distracted to attack, swinging a punch that was meant to hit Wesker in the jaw.

Wesker had gone to dodge the attack but it was hardly necessary because Chris's swing was instead blocked by Claire, who had spun, swiftly kicking him in the chest and sent him flying across the room. He felt his back collide with the door he had entered through moments ago and Chris looked at her with wide eyes. Her expression was equally as shocked. She had reacted before even realizing what she was doing. Did I just protect Wesker? She thought feeling conflicted that she had protected someone like him, but mostly she felt terrible that she had harmed in brother by doing it.

Wesker took the moment of delay to pull out a weapon, firing it at Chris. The carefully aimed shot probably would have killed him but at the last minute Claire lunged with a hand outstretched knocking him back and causing him to miss. He glared, his eyes flashing behind the sunglasses and she glared back.

"This isn't what we came here for," she said, gesturing over at her brother. She had turned her back on the elder Redfield and therefore had not seen him aim his weapon to fire a shot at his former captain.

Wesker however, had and quickly dodged the attack, crouching down to avoid the bullet. Claire turned and sent a harsh glare in her brother's direction. "Not helping, Chris!" She snapped.

She was trying to make sure he wouldn't get hurt and he was making it difficult to convince Wesker to leave. Chris had lowered his weapon under the intense glare. Her eyes which had moments ago been their usual familiar blue now burned a deep reddish gold.

"You know if I were you, I would be more worried about Miss Valentine," Wesker sneered, noticing Chris's appalled reaction to his sister's eyes. Claire, who had been standing between the two men, winced at her brother's reaction but turned her attention towards Wesker giving him a questioning look, her eyes returning to their normal color.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Shouted Chris, his fingering twitching near the trigger as he glared at his worst enemy standing behind his sister.

"I merely helping your sister understand her full potential. As for Ms. Valentine, I have done nothing to her, however the owner of this house had some rather…unconventional pets, and I'd imagine they have not been feed in awhile. It would be a pity if something were to happen to her."

Claire watched as Chris glanced towards the doorway behind him as he focused on her and Wesker. She knew he didn't want to abandon her even after everything she had just done and that if he could, he would rescue her right now, freeing her from all of this. But she also knew that Wesker's words were true, he should be more worried about Jill right now.

"Chris, just go I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound more confident than she actually felt. "Besides, I'm a Redfield I can take care of myself."

"I'm going to fix this. I'll find a cure," he said, trying to reassure her. He sounded so determined and she didn't have the heart to tell him there wasn't one. Although the thought of a cure or a way to fix her was meant as reassurance, she didn't like the word, because it meant there was something wrong with her. She knew her brother would always love her but she felt a sting at the memory of the look he had given her a moment ago. Her eyes had changed then and he had looked at her like he would any of the other monsters he had faced.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to take good care of her," Wesker said, resting a hand on Claire's shoulder as he smirked over at Chris. Even though she knew he was using it as a way to bait her brother, she realized she had leaned into his touch finding, it oddly comforting because he didn't think she was a monster. She noticed Chris's jaw clench and his grip on the gun he had pointed at Wesker tighten.

"Go help Jill, she needs you," said Claire, hoping that he would not do anything rash because, being a Redfield herself, she knew how their temper was. Also, Wesker knew exactly what buttons to push that made their tempers flare.

"Claire, what I said earlier is a promise, okay?" he assured.

"And Redfield's always keep their promises, I know," she said before he backed out of the room. She could tell that he left with a great deal of reluctance by how slowly he moved. She knew in the long run it was for the better. Once Chris had left, she shrugged the hand that was resting on her shoulder off. She turned to face him and said "If you got what you came here for we should go."

Wesker eyed her with caution, unsure if her compliance would last, but he gestured towards the door with his hand, saying "After you."

Claire headed out the door and Wesker followed behind her. She paused for a moment when she heard gunshots from somewhere down the hall, they sounded far away but she knew they belonged to her brother and the rest of the BSAA team. She was worried about what they might be facing and wanted to help them but knew Wesker wouldn't let her.

"Don't make this difficult," he advised, sensing her hesitation. She felt the cool metal of a handgun pressed against her back. He didn't have time to deal with one of her outbursts and he wanted to make this perfectly clear.

"If I really wanted to go over there, do you honestly think the gun would stop me?" she scoffed.

He leaned in close and she felt his breath on her ear as he purred "If I shot you in the spine it would incapacitate you long enough for me to end your brother and his team. If you value their lives, you will depart without defiance."

She knew he was probably right but she still felt a defiant streak in her. She clenched her fist for a moment and she had half a mind to fight back when he delivered a devastating verbal blow. "I wonder though, what your brother will do when realizes that there is no cure for you," he mused.

"What do you mean?" she said turning to face him and not at all like how conversational his tone was. The deadly calm tone was one she had learned to fear.

"A cure suggests that there is something wrong with you and he obviously thinks this is the case. Did you see the way he looked at you when your eyes changed?" He knew the comment had taken effect when Claire winced as though she had been physically injured. She had reasoned that Chris had been more surprised that anything when he had looked at her that way during the fight. Still, she had a feeling Chris would never really understand and would never accept the fact that there was no cure. She supposed this was why she didn't mind being around Wesker sometimes; he understood exactly what is was like to be infected. She noticed that the gunshots had stopped and instead commented on that. "Sounds like they took care of whatever it was you sent after them."

"Perhaps," he said before turning and proceeding down the hallway. Even though he knew she was probably right, it would have been nice that if, for once, it was the other way around. She followed him, looking back down the hall once more before leaving without another hesitation.

* * *

Chris ran down the hallways as quickly as he could, focusing on the task of finding Jill rather than the encounter he had just had with Wesker and his sister. It was a lot of information to take in and right now it was too much to deal with. He could hear gunshots coming from the basement and headed towards them. They stopped a little while before he got down there. The basement was nothing too out of the ordinary and was mostly filled with storage crates. He found Matt, Brent, and Travis standing over the body of a dead Licker, watching in a mixture of horror and disgust as it melted into the floor. Almost instantly, he realized that Jill was not amongst them and he started to fear the worst.

"I did not sign up for this shit!" Matt exclaimed, clutching his injured arm. The Licker had gotten to him but luckily Travis and Brent had been there to help.

"You joined the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, you moron, what the hell did you think you signed up for?" snapped Brent, rolling his eyes and pulling out a health spray.

"Where's Jill?" Chris asked with concern, hoping that she was safe and just somewhere else in the basement.

"She bolted after we heard that dude's voice in the coms devices," Matt explained, rotating his now healed arm. "She went that way," he gestured in the direction behind him.

"Jill, are you there? Do you read me?" Chris said into his own device.

"She threw her coms device over there," said Matt.

"Damn it! You guys stay here, I'm going to go and find her," said Chris before leaving the rookies and heading in the direction Matt had pointed. He noticed a hatch that led outside and climbed out that only to find himself in what looked like a hedge maze.

"Jill!" He called hoping that if she was nearby she could hear him and was alright. The hedges in the maze were tall close to six feet and so dense that he could barely see through them. At least the pathways were wide and seemed to lead back towards the house.

"I'm over here," He heard her say from around the corner of a hedge. He walked towards her voice and found her sitting on a bench. Her arms were wrapped around herself and one of her hands was resting on her scar. "Is Matt okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine," he said sitting down on the bench beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him, seeing the concern in his eyes as he asked "Jill, are you okay?"

She let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah. I just…Wesker was here and I…panicked. When I heard his voice on the coms device, I thought that maybe somehow I wasn't free from all of this. Like I had just imagined it. I had to get away before I would hurt anyone."

Chris pulled her in an embrace as he said "You're safe now. He can't make you do anything anymore."

Jill rested her head on his chest, enjoying the safety of his arms. "Matt's going to be pissed that I left him to deal with that Licker," she said with a groan, realizing the implications of her actions as Chris let her go, but still left an arm resting on her shoulder.

"If he gives you crap about it, I'll knock his teeth out," Chris said with a shrug, cracking his knuckles.

"Are you okay Chris?" She asked with concern. He had comforted her and now it was her turn to return the favor.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he said with a nonchalant shrug. He was only lying to her because he didn't want her to worry.

"Chris, you are a terrible liar," she said firmly. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I ran into Wesker," he spat out the name as though it were poison. He felt his temper flare as he thought of everything that had happened in the past, especially what had happened only moments ago.

"Is that who Travis and Brent were shooting at?"

"No…they were shooting at Claire. She attacked them, Jill," he said, shaking his head.

"Claire? Is she okay?" Jill asked, fearing the worst.

"Leon was right; she didn't have a device on her. She's…I don't know…she's still my sister but…" Chris struggled to organize his thoughts as he began to crack his knuckles again.

"Of course she's still your sister, Chris," said Jill, grabbing his hands to stop the nervous habit. "We'll get her back. It's going to be okay."

"Yeah," said Chris, letting out a sigh of frustration and looking down at Jill, still holding his hands and this helped him calm down a bit. She meant the world to him and even though a lot of things in his life could be going wrong, at least he would have her there with him. "We can get through this."

"We always do, don't we?" said Jill with a light laugh.

"Somehow," he nodded. He knew in a moment he would need to get his team together again and get out of here but right now he knew he needed to calm down a bit more before he did this. "I'm just glad you are okay though," he said, looking down at the woman he loved.

"Aside from the BOW, Matt and I didn't run into anything. For a while there, I was thinking we might be able actually go into a mansion without incident," she said with a small smile.

"That would be the day," said Chris with a laugh. After all these years and everything they had been through, it was always better to be able to laugh about these sorts of things because if not, it would drive you crazy. At the end of the day, all you can do is move forward.

* * *

Joseph Kendo stood behind the counter of his shop, cleaning one of his finely crafted handguns. He had been in the business for a long time and used to help out his younger brother at his Raccoon City shop. Now he was just by himself, but making guns still reminded him of his brother.

The parts lay scattered on the countertop and he did not turn his attention away from them as the bell to his front door rang, signaling that someone had entered the shop. It was late in the evening and he usually tried to close before it got dark.

"I'm sorry, but we are closed," he stated to the figure, as the clicking of high heels on the wood floor came drew nearer.

"I know," she said, now standing in front of the counter.

"I thought I told you never to set foot in hear again, Ko," Kendo said bitterly. He knew who it was the moment they had entered. He had been friends with her father and had looked after the girl when he had passed. Ada Wong was hardly the scrawny young girl she once was.

"I've never been very good at listening and I'm hardly a child, Uncle Ken," said Ada with a small smile. Joe's hair was peppered with grey but other than that he appeared to be aging well. She was just glad that even after all she had done, he wasn't going to shoot her on sight.

"You will always be that lost little child to me, Ada Wong," he said, looking with a forlorn expression at the woman in red who stood before him. "You can tell you employer that if he lost his weapon again, I'm not making him a new one."

"I'm not here because of Wesker. I need your help," she said, crossing her arms.

"Ko, I'm sorry that your father got you into this mess so many years ago, and I regret that I have been the one to give you the tools for your own demise. You abandoned your team, why ask for my help now?"

"I've never claimed what I do is right, Joe. I've always done what I had to in order to complete my objective," she said, reaching into the front of her dress and pulling out a slip of paper. "Here are the plans; do you think you can make something like this?"

"You know I can, otherwise you would not have come here. The question you really wish to ask is will I?" he said, glancing at the plan for a moment before turning his attention back to the gun he was currently working on.

"Will you make this then?"

"Yes, though it seems as though you are going through a lot of trouble for a task such as this," he said eyeing her with interest.

"Complicated situations need complex plans," she said, leaning against the counter in a nonchalant manner.

"Whoever he is, he must be important to you," said Joe with a knowing look.

"No matter how hard I try to take a different path, we always end up in the same place," she mused. For a moment her guard was down but the mask quickly returned. "I'll pick it up Thursday and pay you accordingly then," she said with a nod before heading for the door.

"I hope everything is worth it in the end," Kendo said to her retreating form.

She paused turning to face him her expression unreadable. "It'd better be."

* * *

They made it home without incident and Wesker watched Claire walk into the lab and just waited for the inevitable outburst. He really did not have time to deal with this, he had forgotten to take a dosage of serum with him on their outing and he was starting to feel the effects. He studied her for a moment longer before decided she wouldn't be a problem. He reached for one of the syringes of serum.

Claire leaned against one of the lab tables, arm crossed as she watched him struggle to insert the needle. His hand was shaking and she realized he must have missed a dose. This had happened once before when they were training, he had been hit with one of his seizures and then he had been in a particularly foul mood the rest of the day, so this was not something she was looking forward to.

She walked over to the counter and grabbed another syringe of serum. She grabbed his arm and he yanked in from her grasp. "I was just trying to help," she snapped.

"I did not ask for it," he barked, as he continued to struggle with the needle all the while cursing this instability. He slammed his fist down on the table, denting the metal surface before throwing the needle down as well.

"Well I didn't ask to be infected with a deadly virus and yet, here I am," she scoffed, flinching a bit when his fist connected with the table.

"Yes, how terrible it must be to be you," he drawled, smoothing back his hair. He looked over at her and noticed she had placed the syringe on the table in the place of the broken one. He grabbed the syringe and summoned up all the willpower he could to make his hand remain steady. After he injected the liquid, he instantly felt better.

"Yeah, being held here against my will is my idea of living the good life," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't start that again. You have had numerous occasions during which would could have escaped, Ms. Redfield."

"Please, like you would have let me. If I did run away in that manor today, you would have killed my brother."

"You were hardly the one stopping me from ending your brother," he ground out.

"Yeah, it was also the fact that you weren't feeling well because you missed a dose. It must be difficult knowing that you have all that power but the best thing you can manage is the low blow of using me against him." She knew this statement would make him furious and she knew it was probably not the best idea, yet she couldn't help herself. She was angry at him for using her against her brother, and mad at herself for attack those BSAA agents.

She hadn't even seen what he had done, but all she knew was that she had never felt this much pain in her entire life. Her insides felt like they were on fire and her head felt like it was going to split open. She fell to the floor as her muscles tensed. Her vision blurred as everything gained a red tint.

Wesker took the syringe that had been full of serum and threw it into a biohazard bin before walking towards her. Wesker stood over her as she writhed in pain. "Not easy to be at your best now, is it Ms. Redfield?" She realized now that he was trying to make a point. All she could manage was a groan of pain. She felt like her insides where going to explode and she curled up into the fetal position.

"Just make it stop…please," she ground out through gritted teeth.

"It was a small dosage you should return to your normal state any moment now," he stated turning his attention toward one of the computers in the room. As much as it pained him to taint the virus in her system, her comment could not go unpunished. The virus would restore itself soon but until then, her body was in a state of unbalance which would be in an extremely painful until it returned to equilibrium. He glanced over to see her getting up off the ground slowly. She looked relieved that she was no longer in pain.

"Better?" He asked. He had proven his point and he knew she would be complaint now, even after seeing her brother.

"Is that what it feels like for you?" She asked with caution. She knew her comment had been a stupid idea and would not go unpunished, but she was just glad to not be locked away in that back room.

"Did it feel like every fiber of your being was getting ripped apart?" He said, clenching his jaw as he looked over at a computer screen rather than her.

"Yeah…" She nodded.

"Then yes," he replied in a bored tone, answering her earlier question. She knew he was the type who never wanted to rely on anyone but she couldn't understand why anyone would want to go through so much pain rather than have someone help them.

Claire decided it was probably best to leave now and she headed upstairs to think about everything that had just happened. She collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. She felt like the rope in a grand game of tug-o-war being pulled in two different directions. She knew her brother would not be happy until she was home and safe, but she also know her brother would never be safe if she left Wesker. Her brother Chris would never understand what it was like to be infected and Wesker knew exactly what it was like.

It was a depressing thought but Wesker was the only other person on the planet who would truly understand. She remembered the look her brother had given her, it was like she was a monster, and after the way she had handled though two BSAA agents, maybe she was. This realization frightened her but she didn't know how to deal with it.

She was staying here to protect her friends, but in doing so she felt as though she was losing everything that made her who she was. She tried to imagine how she felt while she was fighting those two agents, she had been appalled at how easy fighting them was and angry that they were so weak. She had stopped her brother from attacking Wesker, she had sent him flying across the room, and probably hurt him. Even after all of that he still wanted to help her, so maybe there was hope for her yet.

As she continued to think about the predicament that was her current situation she felt her eyelids growing heavier and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sherry Birkin, had grown accustomed to being alone. After Raccoon City she had been handed over to the U.S. Government and then to Albert Wesker, who was her legal guardian and had been a friend of her father's. He had sent her off to an expensive boarding school in Switzerland and she would come home during breaks. The first summer had been the strangest but they had managed a system that allowed the two of them to co-exist well. Even though Uncle Albert could be cold and unfeeling, he was the closest thing to family she had.

Throughout most of her teenage years the two of them rarely talked unless it was about viruses. She didn't have a lot of friends as school, but that was probably because she was smarter than most of them and rather shy. She wasn't used to talking to many people and she had learned to enjoy the quite that was often associated with being alone. She still had nightmares form time to time because of the events in Raccoon City but she found that keeping busy helped her keep her mind off of the dark past. Even after everything she had been through involving experimental viruses, the topic was still of great interest to her.

She got along better with Wesker when she started to take an interest in virology, although she didn't wish to do the same kind of research he or her father had done, having a common interest at least gave them something to talk about. She would talk to him about her research and he would help her with her papers. She imagined it was similar to the way a parent would help their child with their homework.

She would email him every couple of weeks, to make sure he was okay and to tell him how school was going. She usually only got short replies but a few months ago, he stopped responding and she started to get worried. It was this worry that had brought her back to the house today.

When she realized he wasn't home she went into the back lab to get some research done. She was working on her dissertation and didn't want to waste any time. She was going to greet him when she heard him come home but he was talking to someone else. Sherry thought the woman's voice sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. The woman in question went upstairs and Sherry went into the front lab to make her presence know.

"Okay, I realize that basically everyone has forgotten about me, but ignoring me is just downright rude," she said with a laugh when she walked into the lab he was working in.

"You're supposed to let me know before coming over, Sherry," scolded Wesker, turning to face the girl. She often dropped by unannounced but now, with Claire here, he would have to explain that situation. As much as he acted like he didn't enjoy her visits, having her around reminded him of his early days at Umbrella, back when he and Birkin were just starting their research.

"Uncle Albert, you never answered any of my emails. I thought you had died in Africa or something!" She said with concern.

"That is preposterous. Do you really believe I would allow myself to meet my end in such a manner?" Wesker sneered, typing a few notes on the computer before giving her his full attention. If Sherry was here that meant work would have to wait, otherwise she would continue to bother him while he attempted to get work done.

"You shouldn't be so arrogant," she warned as she looked over at a formula written on one of the white boards. "Also this is wrong," she said and pointed at a formula reminding him of how she, just like her father, was not afraid to point out problems in his research.

"I was unaware," he drawled as he looked at the board. He could indeed see the problem and understood why it had occurred. About halfway through the formula, his handwriting became darker, and he could recall that Claire had been being a nuisance again and an argument had ensued soon after this. Silence fell between them for a moment as Sherry glanced upstairs.

"So, would you care to explain why there is a woman upstairs in your bedroom or are we just ignoring that?" Sherry finally asked, tucking a stray blonde lock behind her ear. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but pieces often came loose.

Wesker stopped focusing on the error in his work and said "You actually know her, but it's been twelve years since you have seen Claire Redfield."

"Claire…what is she doing here? What did you do?" asked Sherry with concern. She knew her Uncle and anyone with the last name Redfield didn't get along well with him and it honestly wouldn't surprise her if he had kidnapped the younger Redfield as a way to get at her brother.

"I know you don't particularly like my work but if you had called first I would have had time to deal with this," said Wesker, pulling up an image on the computer screen. The image was of the virus in Claire's system. "As for why she is here this should explain it," he said, gesturing with a hand towards the screen.

Sherry approached the screen eyes wide with interest. It was very similar to the giddy expression her father would often get when faced with new research findings. "Well that's…fascinating. Is that Uroboros?"

"A new strain, much more stable than the original, and the only existing sample is in Ms. Redfield," Wesker explained. His lifelong goal had been to create the perfect virus and this was by far the closet he had gotten. "It certainly is beautiful," he mused.

"I wouldn't usually associate beauty with deadly viruses, Uncle Wesker," said Sherry, rolling her eyes. "But while we're on the subject how is your virus?"

"I've been better but it's nothing I can't handle," he stated, going over the whiteboard and fixing the formula. Sherry remembered that the virus in Wesker's system was often rather unstable. They never really discussed it but he seemed even less inclined to talk about it now.

"I'm just saying, my dad helped work on the experimental virus you were given, maybe a little Birkin insight might be useful," she said with a shrug.

"I do not require your assistance, Sherry," he said, finality to his tone, as he clenched his fists. She didn't know what had made him so angry but there were often certain topics that set him off.

"You are to stay out of all of this. Sometimes you are far to like your father for your own good," he said, shaking his head as he finished the formula.

Sherry over the years had come to the conclusion that her father had been one of the few people in the world Wesker actually liked spending time with. From what she could tell, the two of them had actually been friends, even though they sometimes disagreed on how to go about doing some things. She decided not to inquire about it further knowing that her Uncle liked to do things on his own.

* * *

Ada had learned over the years that if you lie to yourself long enough, eventually that lie becomes the truth. Seeing Joe Kendo again reminded her just how much her objective had changed her. Yet, as she knelt on the rooftop resting the assault rifle on a ledge, she felt as though she hadn't changed at all. Leon brought out a side of herself she had not seen in a long time. Over the years she had grown hard, not giving a damn about anyone but herself or her objective.

Raccoon City had caused her to doubt this persona. It was the doubt that was most concerning. Over the years it had always been about her objective and she was fine with that and yet now she was risking everything. Leon reminded her of the way she used to be, he would never leave a teammate behind even if it set him back in his goal. In the past they had always gone their separate ways but she had still always managed to help him from time to time.

Now however, their paths had crossed in a way that made it unavoidable to ignore the fact that she had a soft spot for the agent. She had been ordered to kill him.

She looked through the scope at the scene down below. There was a podium where tomorrow Senator Williams would be standing giving a speech about the values of having a company like Genzyme working to better the country.

Senator Williams was not her intended target and she instead focused away from the podium and moved her focus towards her target. Leon nodded his head as he listened to a fellow security team member tell him what she imagined were security details.

She let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding as her finger twitched on the trigger. She was risking quite a lot with this mission, fifteen years of undercover work down the drain if anything did not go like clockwork. The gun made by Joe Kendo gave her comfort that this just might work.

She took a deep breath before letting it out slowly and pulling the trigger. A dry click followed. The gun was not loaded and she had intended it to be this way. This was just a trial run; she had wanted to see if she could do it. She didn't like the notion that someone could stand in the way of her objective, and knowing that she had a choice in the matter helped to ease her anxiety.

Usually she had no problem doing her job but, as she had knelt on the rooftop she felt the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach she had on the first day of her job. Her entire objective rested on her completing this task. She looked back through the scope at her target.

She was trying to think of him as a target because it made it easier. Leon always managed to make things complicated for her, and as much as she would like to blame him, part of the fault fell on herself. She hadn't meant to let herself get in a situation like this. She wasn't sure what it was about him that always made things difficult, but they always managed to run into each other.

It seems the same cruel twist of fate had brought her here today. He had taken a bullet for her, and had been there for her when she had "died". He held a special place in her heart, and feelings like this were dangerous for someone in her profession.

She looked through the scope one last time before packing up the rifle. This would be the perfect location for what she had to do. Tomorrow was going to be a very important day.


	13. The Moment the Gun Went Off

**Thanks so much for reviewing you guys. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

Claire begrudging rolled out of bed. Rubbing her eyes and sitting on the edge of the bed, she contemplated the fact that this was the first sleep she had in almost a month but it was one of the least restful of her life. The events that had occurred at the manor weighed heavily on her mind and she didn't want to deal with them right now. The aroma of marinara sauce wafted upstairs and her stomach growled in reply.

She glared down at the organ, cursing it for its weakness. She really didn't want to be around Wesker right now. After all, he would probably try to use the way she had acted at the manor to bait her and she knew he enjoyed making her angry by pointing out mistakes she had made. She didn't want to think about the manor any more, she just wanted to move on. She didn't want to think about her brother; she felt guilty, like she had somehow let him down. She didn't like the feelings of doubt because anytime she felt conflicted on a subject, Wesker used it against her. Any sign of her resolve weakening he took as an opportunity to separate her from her old life, driving a wedge between her and Chris.

Much to her dismay, her stomach protested in a manner that meant she would need to face him soon. She couldn't recall the last time she had eaten and the idea of being hungry had become oddly foreign to her. It was further proof of just how different she had become because of the virus. She went into the bathroom to fix her hair, pulling it back in its usual ponytail.

As she walked down the stairs she decided what her best course of action would be to deal with things the way they usually dealt with them; pretended whatever bothered them never happened. She realized that one day this was going to catch up with them but until then, avoiding the issue was probably best.

She paused when she got close to the kitchen because she heard a voice besides Wesker's. She hadn't rounded the corner yet to enter the kitchen and planned on standing there to listen to the conversation when Wesker said "Dear heart, it is rude to ease drop."

She rounded the corner before responding "Yeah? Well you've already pointed out that my manners are sub-par anyway," she said, leaning against the doorframe. Although she was talking to Wesker her attention was focused on the source of the other voice. It was a young woman sitting on the only stool in the kitchen, eating a plate of pasta. Something about her bright blue eyes looked familiar, but Claire couldn't seem to place it. She looked over at Wesker who was on the other side of the counter leaning against it; she was expecting him to provide some sort of explanation for the woman sitting in the kitchen.

"It's understandable that you don't recognize Sherry. She has grown up a lot since you left her in Raccoon City," said Wesker, gesturing over at the young woman.

"I left her with Leon while I went to look for my brother. He told me the U.S. government took her and then they lost her!"

"Yes, that was very responsible of you," he drawled putting away left over pasta into the fridge, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I was nineteen you jackass! I could barely keep a plant alive! I couldn't take care of a twelve year old!" She gestured over at Sherry and left the doorway to confront Wesker.

Sherry watched the exchange with interest. She had a feeling her Uncle was only bringing any of this up for the sole reason of tormenting Claire. He did have a hatred of Redfields after all. Although they didn't talk much, she had learned the name Redfield, particularly Chris Redfield, generally made him angry.

Still, the fact that Claire was able to get away with calling him a jackass and not getting killed or maimed was noteworthy. The two of them stood toe to toe, staring each other down and she wondered if her presence was the only thing stopping the two of them from fighting.

"Age is hardly an excuse. I was a Chief Researcher at nineteen," he bragged with a smug smile. Even though it was so easy, he enjoyed baiting her.

"Yeah and I survived the Raccoon City Incident but that doesn't mean I could have taken care of kid," she said rolling her eyes. She then turned her attention towards Sherry and was about to speak when Sherry said, "I don't blame you, and Uncle Albert told me why you are here."

"Uncle Albert?" Claire knitted her forehead in confusion at the use of the familial term. She looked over at Wesker, unable to comprehend the idea of him being family to anyone.

"I was her legal guardian although now that she is twenty four, I'm hardly needed," Wesker explained. Once Sherry had her own apartment, he converted her room into the front lab that he did most of his work in. Sherry didn't really miss her room all that much though; she understood her Uncle was practical and an empty room would seem pointless to him.

"You'll always be needed, you're the closest thing to family I have," Sherry reassured him. Although Wesker would never admit it, Sherry got the feeling that he might miss her staying with him in the summers. There were times when he would mention how nice it was to be able to work without her checking up on him but the fact that he even noticed she was gone at all meant he cared a little.

"Yes, well, I suppose I am." His tone was stoic as always but he had faltered a bit in the statement, almost as though he was uncomfortable with the notion. His entire world was filled with enemies and if he ever let on that he cared for Sherry...that made her one glaring weakness that he could not afford. Rather than stand there in uncomfortable silence, he changed the subject.

"I'll leave you two to catch up and I can get some work done." Wesker realized Claire would once again prove to be rather useful to him. With her here, Sherry could have someone to talk to and wouldn't feel the need to distract him from his work. After he left the room, Sherry and Claire just stared at one another. It was a bit of an odd situation to find oneself in, but Sherry had gotten used to dealing with strange situations especially after everything with Raccoon City.

"So you're infected with Uroboros?" she asked with interest. She had seen what the virus in Claire's body looked like and it was fascinating.

"Yeah…it's a…long story," said Claire with a sigh, grabbing some pasta out of the fridge. She didn't like talking about the virus; it made her feel like a science experiment. "So what are you doing now?"

"Getting my doctorate in virology, actually. Don't worry, I don't plan on making anything dangerous," she reassured. "But yeah, I've been good for the most part."

"Leon and I were always keeping an ear open for any information on you, but no one had any idea where you went. Sherry, I'm sorry," said Claire walking towards Sherry looking sympathetic.

"It really hasn't been that bad. I mean, at first I was really angry that everyone had just forgotten about me but I was used to being alone, I guess. Uncle Albert made sure I went to some of the best schools and he isn't so bad, but I think he's only sort of nice to me because of my dad," said Sherry, taking a bite of her pasta. Her tone wasn't bitter or regretful, in fact, she sounded very nonchalant about the whole situation.

Claire nodded in understanding, having spent a great deal of time with Wesker she had come to the conclusion that is wasn't the worst situation to be in. She put the pasta in the microwave and leaned against the counter, since Sherry was currently sitting on the only seat in the kitchen.

Claire had quickly discovered this house was, unwelcoming. There was one stool in the kitchen because all that was needed was one stool, the towel rack only had room for one towel and she had find an elaborate way to hang her towel in the shower so it would dry off. Not to mention the couch was like sitting on a rock. It was a house basically designed to make a guest feel unwanted. In fact, Claire was certain the only reason he owned four plates was because they must have come in a set.

While they ate, Claire and Sherry took the time to catch up. Claire was amazed at everything that Sherry had accomplished in her life despite everything that was against her. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biomedical engineering from MIT. She was expecting to have a paper she wrote on the problems of bio-organic weapons to be published in a rather prestigious journal. Currently she was working with another grad student named Gavin and they were doing some research on a virus that had been found frozen in the ice in Greenland. When Claire pried more about the situation she got Sherry to admit that her and Gavin were together and had been for over a year.

"I just didn't want to say anything with Uncle Albert around," she explained. "Plus, that's not exactly the sort of thing we talk about."

"Trust me I understand. I mean, I never wanted to bring guys I met home because, well, Chris is really overprotective. Chris would threaten to kill the guy if he did something to me, but you would have to worry about Wesker actually killing someone."

"Yeah, he does have a bit of a temper. Although Progenitor does increase aggression," she mused.

"A bit? Sherry, that's the biggest understatement of the year!" Claire said remembering numerous times in which Wesker had lost his temper. Sherry wasn't looking at her but was instead looking down at where Claire had been gripping the counter where a crack had started to under the pressure. Claire looked down at the counter "Okay… maybe the virus has something to do with it."

After that Claire changed the subject and the two of them talked for another couple of hours. Claire told Sherry all about her work with Terra Save and she reminisced about what it was like to be Sherry's age. The conversation came to a halt though, when Wesker entered into the room.

He looked down at his watch and said "It's late; you should be getting some sleep."

"I'm used to not sleeping," Sherry explained. She often spent many hours doing research in fact she often considered the notion that she may be an insomniac.

"That doesn't mean you don't need to sleep," the tone was oddly parental but not condescending.

"Alright fine, I'll go," she said rolling her eyes. "We'll talk more later," she said to Claire before leaving the kitchen.

When Sherry left, Claire started to do her dishes but she noticed that Wesker still had not left yet. She found watching him interacting with Sherry interesting since he was actually being kind to someone, and she wondered if, like Sherry had said, it was because of her father. Claire didn't know much about William Birkin, Sherry didn't really talk much about him and, although she had technically seen the scientist in Raccoon City, he was so far gone she felt it didn't really count.

Birkin must have been helpful to Wesker otherwise he wouldn't feel the need to care for Sherry like he did. Perhaps Birkin had actually been a friend to Wesker; she imagined the two would probably talk about lab stuff. The image of Wesker having someone to share his obsession with working was amusing to her.

"What?" He snapped when he noticed her staring at him with a bit of a smile on her face.

"Nothing. Sherry's done so much with her life these past twelve years and I feel like I'm still in the exact same place," she replied with a bit of a sigh.

"Aren't you a bit young to be having a midlife crisis?" he drawled, looking at her over his sunglasses.

"Maybe. Why are you speaking from experience?" She teased with a smirk.

"I attempted to purposefully unleash a deadly virus onto the entire population; I'd imagine that qualifies," he stated, looking down at his watch again. Since the whole mess that was Africa he had been trying to re-establish his old sense of order in life. Although he would never admit it out loud, his arrogance had gotten the better of him.

"Most guys just buy expensive sports car," she laughed.

"When one can run faster than a sports car it tends to lose its appeal," he started to leave the room but paused when he realized that Claire wasn't going to follow him. Even with Sherry here, he knew it would be a good idea to have Claire continue her training. Watching her take out the guards at the manner made him realize that she had gained a sort of mastery over her skills but that didn't mean there wasn't room for improvement. "Just because Sherry is here does not mean you are off the hook. We still have work to do."

"It's not like a break would kill me, I've gotten my abilities pretty under control," she mumbled, knowing she was going to be in a great deal of pain in a few minutes, because he was heading off towards training rooms.

* * *

Leon was sitting at his desk filling out some last minute paperwork. In about half an hour he would need to head to the plaza where Senator Williams would be giving a speech. He was just about to get up, get some lunch, and blow off the paperwork when an old friend stopped by his office.

Ark Thompson been his roommate back at the police academy in New York, but the strange thing was the two of them had not really become friends until after they both started working for the U.S. Government.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something," said Ark in a low voice, running a hand though his brown hair, eyes darting back and forth as he clutched some files.

"Yeah…sure," said Leon with hesitation. Ark had a look on his face that said he had unearthed something important, and in all honestly Leon had enough on his plate right now.

Ark placed the files on Leon's desk and opened them. "You're working for that guy that supports Genzyme, right?"

"Yeah, but I looked into it. Genzyme is a small company and they seem clean," said Leon as he stared at the information Ark had on the desk. It looked like tax forms for Genzyme and a few other pharmaceutical companies.

"Oh yeah, Genzyme may appear small but they own eight other small pharmaceutical companies and in truth, Genzyme employs some of the world's top scientist who have done work with BOWs. Also, they send funding to a few local police forces and the BSAA. Basically, they're close to becoming the new Umbrella."

"How…did you find all of this?" asked Leon as he shifted through the files, shocked that something like Umbrella could be happening again.

"I know some Anti-Umbrella people…"

"Wait, Anti-Umbrella? There can't be any people still active with that! It's been disbanded for like what, five years now?"

"Yeah well some people have a hard time letting go. It may not be official but someone's looking into some stuff and somehow Genzyme relates to Umbrella. I need you to take this as well," Ark said reaching into the pocket of his green hoody and pulling out what looked like a back up drive for a computer and placing it on the desk as well.

"Whoa, hold on, why you are giving this all to me?" asked Leon shifting though the papers and looking at his friend with apprehension.

"'Cause I've got to lay low for awhile. I may have kicked a hornet's nest and I need to disappear," said Ark although he did not focus his full attention on Leon, his eyes were darting back and forth. He was eyeing some of the other agents in the room with caution. He knew Leon was someone he could trust with all this information and Leon would make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands. But, he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about all the information he had stumbled upon and he knew it needed to be dealt with.

"Hey, wait you're just giving me all this and bailing?" Leon watched his friend's nervous behavior and knew this information was the kind of info that was dangerous to have.

"Chill Kennedy, it's just paper, from what I've heard you've had to protect worse." Although Ark's tone was calm and dismissive the fact that he was still looking around the room like he was expecting someone to attack him did not put Leon at ease.

"Yeah, I guess," mumbled Leon as he looked at all the information that had fallen into his lap. He knew this kind of information needed to be stored in a safe place quickly.

"Hey, and I don't mean to sound paranoid or anything but, the less people you show this to the better. Genzyme is well connected," he said quietly in case people where listening.

"Sounds like I should be paranoid."

"Just watch your back," Ark advised, he looked at his watch and said "I gotta go."

"Yeah, good luck." Ark nodded in response before walking briskly out of the office.

Leon looked through the files for a bit. From what he could gather, Genzyme may have connections to people in the government. He knew the safest place for all the files Ark had given him was in his safe at his apartment. He looked down at his watch, checking to see if he had time to drop them there and realized he should have left for the plaza five minutes ago.

"Shit," he mumbled, gathering the papers together. He looked around the room to find a safe place to hide them and finally settled on hiding them with some files containing information on Claire that he meant to give Chris. After that, he grabbed his gun, holster and jacket. He looked around for his car keys for a moment, he always had a problem with losing his keys especially since his desk was always a mess.

He spotted a furry arm waving for help in a sea of paperwork. He smirked as he grabbed onto the plush bear that was attached to his key ring. Some of his fellow agents gave him crap about it and he agreed it was a rather ridiculous thing for him to have on there but Ada had given it to him in Spain so it held some sentimental value. Also it did make finding his keys easier.

He grabbed his keys and headed to the parking lot. He didn't like the black government issued SUV since the thing drove like a tank, but it was free and he really only used to get back and forth from work.

When he got to the plaza, he noticed that quite a crowd had already formed and although this would usually be fine, he couldn't help the sinking feeling he had when Senator Williams came by to talk to him like he usually did before a speech. He could only wonder how the Senator could lie so easily. He backed anti-BOW legislation, and pharmaceutical companies that practiced legitimate business deals. The way he talked and the look in his eyes suggested he believed everything he supported. Perhaps he was just jaded from dealing with corrupt pharmaceutical companies; but Leon felt there could be no way that the Senator was ignorant about what Genzyme was really up to. Generally people involved in shady stuff like this weren't clueless as to what was going on.

As he stood to the side of the Senator giving his speech, he tried to keep his face neutral but he was fuming on the inside. I've been dealing with stuff like this for years. How did I not notice this? He thought as he stood there, barely listening to the speech. Leon focused on scanning the crowd for a possible threat rather than thinking about the Senator. Even though he didn't like the guy right now, technically he still had a job to do.

He glanced back over at the Senator to listen to more of the speech when suddenly the wood of the podium splinted from a gunshot. The noise caused the crowd to panic, a woman screamed and people began to scatter away from the podium. A stampede effect had started and people where pushing and shoving one another to get themselves as far away from the Senator as possible in an effort to save their own skin. It was amazing how quickly a calm situation could turn to utter chaos.

The Senator had ducked behind the podium, taking cover and clinging to the object in fear. Leon sprang into action, doing his job even though moments ago he had been questioning it. Leon leaped towards where the Senator was hiding, he tried to stay low since whoever had fired that first shot had missed. Now, though with all the chaos the gunshot had created, the crowd had scatted leaving the Senator even more out in the open than when he had been speaking at the podium. His wife, who had been standing next to him, was already being escorted away by some other agents.

"Sir, we need to get you out of here," he said starting to help the Senator up, shielding him from a potential attack. The shooter might have realized they failed in their task and made a run for it but just in case they needed to get the Senator to safety. Some police officers who had quickly showed up at the scene had just gotten the crowd to calm down a bit before a second shot rang out. They scattered once again, pushing and shoving in a desperate attempt to leave the area as their fear was renewed.

Leon had not only heard the shot, he felt it, and cried out in pain as it pieced through the bullet proof vest he had been wearing. He had been in a rush and he forgot to grab the plated one which was rifle resistant. He stumbled from the impact of the bullet and tried not to lean on the Senator for support. A group of agents rushed over to help get the Senator out of harm's way. Two of them ushered the Senator away while one of them stayed behind and steadied Leon.

"You okay, man?" asked one of his fellow agents. Leon could feel blood soaking through his vest and he winced in pain. He needed to get to a hospital that was certain, but from what he could tell the bullet had hit him in the upper chest almost exactly where he had been shot saving Ada in Raccoon City.

"I've been hit but…" Leon started to say, he was going to tell them he would be fine but he was finding it difficult to breathe. He couldn't understand why he felt this way, he had been shot before and, yeah it wasn't something he had particularly enjoyed but it had never felt like this. He felt like his body was slowing down. He labored to fill his lungs with air, his heart felt heavy and the world was spinning around him. His vision began to blur and the next step he took caused his legs to give out. The fellow agent who was helping him was now supporting all of his weight.

There was no way a shot like this should be affecting him this way. Spots started forming in front of his eyes and his breathing was slowing down at an alarming rate. He struggled to keep conscious, fearing the worst should he allow darkness to take over. However his struggle was in vain. After one more labored breath, everything went black and silence followed.

* * *

Chris collapsed onto the couch with a sigh of exhaustion. These past few days had been stressful to say the least. He spent awhile arguing with his superior about the manor reports regarding Claire. He could understand why they might feel the need to put Claire on a BSAA watch list of people who were dangerous to the organization but at the same time she was still his sister and the thought of her being associated with the kind of people the BSAA considered enemies pissed him off beyond belief, especially since he couldn't really do much about it.

He and his superiors came to the agreement that a description of Claire would be included in briefs involving the issue but she would not be named.

He was worried about Claire even more now that he had seen her. The fact that she hadn't been fighting back against Wesker made him uneasy. Redfields always fought back when faced with a problem. He wondered what Wesker was holding against her that made so compliant. Maybe whatever she was infected with gave him some kind of control over her? He almost hoped this was a case because it was a simple explanation for her actions.

He had no idea what he was going to do about the promise he had made her. He didn't even know what she was infected with or if it could be reversed. He remembered Claire telling him about the Harvardville incident and how WiliPharma had created a vaccine for the T-Virus, giving him some glimmer of hope. Science was getting closer to finding ways to combat these viruses. Hopefully it was just something more like P-30 that if she was no longer getting a supply of it, the substance would work its way out of her system.

Jill, who had been sitting on the couch watching TV, noticed his brow had knitted in thought. She knew he must be thinking about Claire again. His sister had been on his mind a lot ever since he encountered her at the mansion.

"Chris, you're going to drive yourself crazy. You need to relax," she said putting a hand on his chest and scooting closer to him.

He put and an arm around her and relaxed under her touch. "I know," he said, focusing on her instead of everything that had been bothering him these past few days. Jill had been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal and he was glad to have her around. "Have I told you that I loved you today?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"No, but you don't have to because I can see it in how you look at me," she said with a smile, looking over at him.

"Well, I've wanted to be able to say I love you for years and never got to, so humor me," he said squeezing her shoulder in a playful manner.

"You could have, you just didn't," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"I think the important thing is that I say it now. I love you."

"I love you too," she said with smile before resting her head on his shoulder.

After a moment Chris looked over at the TV to see what Jill had been watching. "What is this?" he asked, watching as a young woman tried on a wedding dress.

"Say Yes to the Dress, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. Plus, the announcer kind of sounds like you," she teased.

"That does not sound like me," said Chris with a laugh, as the announcer said something about finding the perfect dress and how style and shape was important.

"Yes, it does," she replied, giggling.

"Sure it does," he said rolling his eyes and grabbing the remote to change the channel. After flipping through a few of the channels he paused on some news that caught his attention.

"In other news, the attempted assassination of Senator Williams resulted in the injury of a federal agent…" the reporter was saying and Chris looked over at Jill with a look of concern.

"Doesn't Leon work for that Senator?" he asked, already getting up to phone his friend.

"Yeah…" answered Jill, equally concerned. She only hoped that Leon wasn't the agent the reporter had been talking about and she turned her attention to the screen in order to hear more information on the attack.

* * *

Alex had been escorted by some members of the security team to her home alone with her husband. Thankfully she had finally convinced them to leave after a little while; she hated having these thugs around. They had tracked dirt on the clean white carpet and she had to pretend to enjoy her "husband's" dull stories.

"Honey, I don't see why you couldn't be nicer to those men. They're just hardworking, everyday people," he said with a smile.

"Please, I'm a saint for putting up with people for this long," she mumbled ,pulling out a cell phone like device that was used to control him. He went unconscious and she didn't bother to catch him when he fell once she made sure that such a fall wouldn't result in him becoming injured enough to warrant questioning. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of wine before sitting on the white leather armchair and turning on the TV.

The reporter was talking about the assassination attempt and the agent who had been injured during it. She would have to go down to the hospital soon to confirm that Ada had actually gone through with the plan. She had assumed given the woman's history with Leon, it might have been more difficult but, then again, when did the past ever really matter?

She sipped her wine, and turned off the TV basking in the solace of her quiet home. She hated public appearances. People were so loud and they reeked of decay as each second of their existence brought them closer to their own demise. The sooner they were gone the better, she thought as her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of cars on the road nearby. She reached for the remote and turned on her sound system, relaxing as the melodic tune of a familiar song filled the room.

It was tranquil and yet underneath, something dark and sinister was held in the keys of the piano. "Moonlight Sonata" was a song she knew all too well and she recalled a time long ago when she used to play it herself…

_Her nimble fingers glided across the keys of the grand piano as she sat in the drawing room. Ozwell, her guardian and mentor, stood beside her listening to her play. As the song came to an end he said "As lovely as your playing is my dear, this is not why I called you here today."_

_She turned her attention towards him instead of the piano. She knew he had most likely brought her there to talk about her research but she was not prepared for what he had said next._

_"A man is nothing without a legacy Alexandra," he said, walking towards one of the large windows in the room to look out at it. He paused for a moment before turning his attention to the young woman sitting on the piano bench, her hands neatly folded in her lap. "You have always been like a daughter to me, so I am entrusting that legacy to you."_

_"Me?" she furrowed her brow. Although he had taken her under his wing, he had never allowed her to do any major research for the company. Her projects had always been small and often seemed like a waste of her abilities but in her gratitude, she never questioned his motives._

_"Your work with the other strain of the Progenitor Virus had proven effective, has it not?"_

_"Yes, but I thought Dr. Marcus and his team were working with the more powerful one," she said, unable to hide the bitterness in her tone. She was smarter than anyone at that facility and yet Spencer had denied her access to the more powerful strain._

_"That is what Dr. Marcus believes, yes, however I have different plans for this discovery. I have looked over your research and Progenitor could birth a new human race. One that is stronger and more powerful than anything we can imagine. I plan to create a new world Alex, and your research is the key."_

_Alex raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this statement. She had never understood why Spencer had given her projects that seemed pointless, but now it seemed as though her research was more important to him than she had anticipated._

_"Well I am glad to be of assistance then," She stated, taking the paper when he handed it to her. She scanned in quickly noticing it was a list of names, and all of them shared her surname._

_"Consider this my gift to you dear Alexandra, since you always were my favorite. Over the years I have come across many talented individuals and I have made sure that someone is watching over them and now that you are old enough, this project will fall under your control as it was intended to. With the help of the Progenitor Virus, the Wesker Children will help to ease the transition into this new world order," he explained as he headed over to his desk pulling out a syringe filled with a liquid._

_"There will be twelve others? I do not understand why I am not sufficient enough," she said, forgetting not to voice her thoughts aloud._

_At this Spencer just chuckled and said "Alexandra, you will be far superior to them. If I am to be a god, I will need a messiah just as in turn, you will need your apostles." He walked towards her holding the syringe of orange liquid._

_The glass in her hand snapped under the pressure of her grip. She had been unaware of the object in her hand or how the emotions she had felt then could bubble to the surface. She had always known she was Spencer's favorite but never understood why the projects he had given her were in fact tailoring her for this grander task._

_However, the thought of sharing this legacy with twelve others was upsetting to say the least. She was the only one worthy of the power she now possessed. Spencer had given her the task of creating more of this serum of Progenitor for the other Wesker Children, but Alex had other plans. Instead of giving them the same serum she had been working on, they would be given something lesser._

Ultimately, the serum she had created was the demise of most of the Wesker Children, all but one. Somehow Albert had survived and she could not understand why especially since there was no indication is his genetic makeup that he was significantly different than any of the others. He was an anomaly that had somehow managed to survive. She had assumed his arrogance and Spencer's teachings would one day get the better of him but he had somehow managed to evade that as well. Still, after patiently waiting all these years, her plan was finally being set into motion. It was only a matter of time before everything would work out in her favor.

* * *

Claire had been surprised with the way today's lesson was going when Wesker handed her a handgun. She noticed it was not the Samurai Edge but rather just an H&K P8. She studied the firearm for a second before looking over at him, brow knitted in confusion.

"You use it to shoot people," he explained in a patronizing tone.

She frowned; she hated that tone. "Yeah, I know. I guess these means I'm practicing shooting you then?"

"If you can," he stated, fixing his hair as he stood across from her. She hadn't fired a gun in quite some time, but she had enough practice with them over the years that she was able to quickly familiarize herself with the weapon. Her stance was defensive, one foot ahead of the other, the gun held in her right hand lined up with her shoulder. She fired the weapon and it jerked back in her hand, although she noticed it did not seem to have the same kick back as it had before. She realized the virus probably had something to do with it.

As expected, he dodged the bullet with ease, leaning to the left as it whizzed past him. She fired a second one soon after and he leaned back to evade that one as well. The fact that he was dodging the bullets with very little effort bothered her. When she had to dodge it involved a lot of movement and focus.

"For having a brother who was a sharp shooter, I honestly expected more from you," he goaded.

Claire's eyes flashed at the statement. She fired a few shots in rapid succession, scattering where she aimed and causing him to dash to the left before flipping backwards and landing on his feet without even a hint of stumbling.

His reached up to push his sunglasses higher onto the face since they had slipped during the flip. Show off, Claire thought as she let out a sigh of frustration when she realized she hadn't even managed to hit him. He was making it look so easy when she knew for a fact dodging bullets was difficult.

She fired another shot and he leaned casually to the side to avoid that as well. He looked over at her with a smirk. "You're becoming very predictable, dear heart."

The smirk was quickly replaced with a grimace when he felt a bullet tear through this shoulder blade. She looked very pleased with herself for finally hitting him. "I could say the same for you."

With a flick of his wrist he wiped some of the blood off his shirt. "It can merely be considered beginners luck until you can repeat the action."

She fired the weapon again, but try as she might, she was unable to hit him again. Eventually she got tired of failing and threw the gun at him. Although surprised by the action he dashed to the left and it flew past him. She crouched before dashing forward and trying to kick him across the room. He managed to dodge the attack, crouching and pivoting around to knock her leg out from under her.

She was rolling out of the way as he raised his foot to pin her to the ground and quickly stood. Although she avoided his foot, moments later she was thrown against one of the walls in the room. He used his weight to pin her there and held his forearm against her neck to further hold her in place. She realized that she found herself in this situation a lot and although by now she had thought of countless ways to break the grasp, she stayed put.

"The lesson was on guns, not hand to hand combat," he scolded, knowing her temper had gotten the better of her.

"Yeah well, I'm more effective than the gun," she said, frustrated that she had been unable to harm him in the same way he had her with the firearm when he used it in their earlier lessons. She reached up to grab his arm trying to pull it away from her neck a bit.

"Perhaps," he said with a bit of a smirk as he looked at her over his sunglasses. She was right in this sense; she was more powerful than the weapon she had been using moments ago however, that was not the point of the lesson. He took his arm away from her neck so he was no longer choking her, but the distance between the two of them had not changed otherwise.

He took a moment to study her as the red in her eyes faded to blue. He had always found the anomaly particularly intriguing because he didn't understand why her eyes usually retained their normal color and his did not. The only time the infection reached her eyes was when she felt certain emotions, anger being the usual suspect. Still, there was something enticing about that fire that delved deeper than scientific inquiry.

"I think that is enough for today," he said, stepping away from her and adjusting his sunglasses.

She didn't know why he had stood so close to her for so long, but more confusing was the fact that it didn't bother her in the slightest. There was a time when being in close proximity to him brought only feeling of hatred and anger. Perhaps it was just the fact that she had gotten used to him being around, after all she did spend a lot of time with him. She had gotten to know him, and could understand why he had become the way he was. She didn't consider them enemies anymore, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt admitting that. On the one hand, she felt as though it was betraying her brother for thinking this but on the other hand, Wesker had actually been pretty helpful when it came to her virus. Being around Wesker made her feel normal.

With the lesson completed the two of them headed into the main lab only to find Sherry slumped over one of the lab tables amongst a sea of papers. Wesker let out a sigh of annoyance at the sight. He could remember countless times when Birkin would fall asleep amongst a mountain of paperwork. Wesker picked up one of the papers on the desk and looked at nearly illegible writing. Sherry had inherited her father's messy handwriting and lack of organizational skills. He could remember sorting through papers for William, since he was one of the few people who could decipher the sloppy scrawl, the task often fell to him to clean up the mess that William left on his desk.

As he reached for another one of the papers, he knocked over a coffee cup that was precariously perched on the edge of the table. With his reflexes he caught it in an instant and with a grimace placed it back on the table, in a safer location. He was always telling her father not to do that. He had found over the years that Sherry was actually a lot like her father; they had a lot of similar personality traits and a similar fascination with viruses. He reached for another sheet of paper and began to organize the papers into logical piles.

Claire stood in the doorway to the lab leaning against the frame. She would have usually gone straight upstairs to take a shower but instead she stayed to watch Wesker interact with Sherry. It was strange to her to see him actually take time to help someone else, with no obvious benefit to himself.

"Is she going to be okay, sleeping on the table like that?" Claire asked, causing Wesker to turn and look at her for a moment as he shuffled through some of the papers.

"Her father used to do it all the time and he…" he started to say, looking down at the sleeping woman before saying, "I'm sure if she doesn't make a habit of it, she will be fine."

"I remember crashing at my desk like that in college," she smiled at the memory as she started to grab some of the papers and stack them.

"Sleep is often a luxury when academics are involved," he pointed at one of the papers she put in a pile. "That shouldn't go over there; those are research notes and that is, well, gibberish mostly."

"You can actually read these scribbles?"

"It's a lot like her father's handwriting, It takes some practice," he explained shuffling through some of the papers in his hand. She wanted to ask about Sherry's father but she knew that Wesker didn't like to talk about the past. She bit her lip, curiosity getting the better of her. She finally asked "So Sherry's father, William Birkin, he was a friend then?"

"We had similar ambitions and were the youngest people employed by Umbrella, it seemed logical to form an alliance."

"You were obviously close if you actually took care of Sherry," she pried. Wesker had a habit of making everything seem like the only reason for doing anything had to be practical, but she would like to believe he much do some things for other reasons.

"I don't see how this conversation is relevant to organizing papers." There was sharpness to his tone that suggested he did not want to discuss the matter any further.

"You don't have to be so defensive," she said with a sigh. She was just trying to be conversational. "People don't always have some kind ulterior motive."

"When it comes to my life, they always do," he replied darkly.

She was about to replay when Sherry began to stir. She sat up looking at the two of them with a sleepy expression. A piece of paper stuck to her face and she pulled it off.

"I thought I told you to go sleep," Wesker raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the young woman.

"I just thought I would get some work done before then…what were you guys doing in there anyway? I thought I heard gunshots," she stretched and yawned as she spoke.

"I'm learning to control my abilities," Claire explained.

Sherry just nodded and looked at the organized piles of papers. "Thanks for doing all of this."

"You really should try and get some sleep." Sherry looked as though she was about to speak but Wesker interrupted. "And sleeping in the lab does not count."

"Alright," she said with a sigh, glancing at her notes one last time before starting to leave the lab. She paused in the doorway. "Goodnight, Uncle Albert. Goodnight Claire."

Wesker just nodded before turning his attention to one of the computers in the lab.

"Night, Sherry," Claire said, glancing over at Wesker and shaking her head. She knew that because Wesker actually spent time with Sherry, he enjoyed being around her to some degree, yet he was so guarded that he couldn't even say goodnight to the woman who was basically his niece. She wondered if he had always been this way or if his years at Umbrella had made him like this. There was really no point in thinking about it however, for it was a mystery she would probably never solve.

* * *

Ingrid Hunnigan had been on her lunch break, she had gone to the plaza where she usually ate only to find it full of people. She sat down on a empty bench and started to open the Tupperware that held her salad as she looked around at the crowd of people.

"Excuse me, what is going on here?" Hunnigan asked one of the people standing nearby.

"Senator Williams is give a speech any minute now," One of them explained.

She decided to stay and listened to the speech given by Senator Williams and had been there when the gunshots caused the crowd to scatter and she had been there when Leon collapsed. She had called 911 and an ambulance had come taken him to the nearest hospital.

They hadn't let her ride in the ambulance so she quickly rushed to the hospital in her own car. She knew she would be getting a phone call from the hospital any minute now; she was listed as Leon's primary emergency contact. When he had asked her if this was okay, she had found the question a bit odd. Yes, they had dated for a little while when he got back from Spain but they had decided they were better as just friends. He explained however that a lot of his other friends like Chris or Claire, often were off in a random third world country for work. Hunnigan worked in an office and she would always be able to get to a hospital with relative ease.

Still, she didn't like having this weight on her shoulders. The nurse working the front desk of the ER had told her she would just have to wait until a doctor came out to tell her what was going on. She tried to remain calm and took a seat in the waiting room picking up a magazine to preoccupy herself.

She tried to focus on the tranquil beaches in the travel magazine but she just kept thinking about how quickly Leon had dropped to the ground, especially since he had been wearing a vest. Every time a doctor or nurse came out of the doors leading to the back room, she would almost drop the magazine in anticipation, waiting to hear any news. However, they all walked right by her, stopping to talk to some other people in the room.

She had discovered a pattern by now; one could see what kind of news was being delivered by the expression on the doctor's face when they first walked out the door. She looked over at the doors as they swung open once again; the doctor who opened them was flipping through the papers on his clipboard as he made his way towards her.

"You're waiting on news about a Mr. Kennedy?" He asked looking up from his data. Hunnigan froze unable to speak, she recognized the expression on the doctor's face and it wasn't one she had not come to associate with good news…

**Don't forget to review please. I always love to hear feedback from you guys!**


	14. Heaven or Hell

**Wow, it's been awhile since I've updated, but school's been keeping both me and my awesome editor Nightshade727. Anyways without further ado here is my next chapter. **

There were times when Dr. Austin hated his job and this was certainly one of them. The agent that had been rushed into the hospital about a half an hour ago had been an unusual circumstance. When the agent had first been brought in his heart was failing at an alarming rate, which was peculiar because the gunshot wound didn't seem fatal at all. Someone of his age should not have a heart that would react in such a manner.

Dr. Austin and his fellow doctors worked quickly to remove the bullet and repair the wound. They hoped that with a defibrillator they could get the agent's heart to beat at a normal pace however, nothing they did seemed to work so Dr. Austin had to make the called he hated making. He would have to pronounce this agent-Leon S. Kennedy-as deceased.

Given the unusual circumstances of his death, one of the nurses put the body on a gurney to take it to the autopsy room; it was after all standard hospital procedure to investigate something like this. But now was not the time for the autopsy. Unfortunately Dr. Austin had the task of informing the woman in the waiting room that her friend had just died.

As he walked down the hall and studied the notes on his clipboard he passed a woman in a red halter and although he wasn't sure if she was supposed to be back here, he didn't have time to question her and continued down the hall towards the waiting room. When he entered the waiting room he noticed a woman with a travel magazine in her lap staring at him with apprehension.

He looked back down at his clipboard before heading towards the woman. "You're waiting on news about Mr. Kennedy?"

"Yes, is he alright?" Hunnigan asked concern etched across her features.

"I'm sorry to inform you…" he started to say when Hunnigan interrupted him.

"No…you don't understand he can't be…" She was unable to bring herself to say the word. The impression she got from Leon was that he was a survivor, there was just no way he could be dead. Even before she really knew him and had talked with him over the phone while he was in Spain, she could tell he was able to handle just about anything life threw at him. Then when she found out he was a survivor of Raccoon City she knew he really had been through hell. Anyone who could deal with something like that wouldn't go down easily.

"We've did everything we could but unfortunately we were unable to stop his heart from failing," Dr. Austin explained.

"Did the bullet hit him in the heart?" Hunnigan asked trying to make some sense of how this could have happened. She was feeling a mixture of confusion and disbelief. She couldn't understand how he could just be dead. It was easier to focus on talking with the doctor was saying rather than the grief she felt at the news.

"No, it didn't. The wound was unusual...I've never seen anything like it before; we will know more after the autopsy. I can inform you when I know more, if you would like?"

"Yes, I would like that," she nodded.

"I'm sorry for your loss. The FBI is here and they are questioning everyone involved in the shooting, when you are ready they would like to have a word with you," Dr. Austin turned his attention back to his clipboard, even though this woman seemed to be handling the news well it never made telling it any easier.

Now that he was done with that, he thought perhaps his day would go a lot easier but he soon discovered that this was not the case. He was heading back to his office when he ran into one of the nurses who was going to help with the autopsy, looking panicked.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"Um…I don't know how to explain this, Dr. Austin, but the body is gone," she whispered in a panicked tone.

"What do you mean the body is gone?" He snapped, today was turning out to be more stressful than usual.

"I went into the autopsy room after getting some more supplies from the supply closet and the body was… just gone!" She quickly explained, panic ebbing into her voice.

Dr. Austin let out a sigh of frustration and began to rub his temples. "Well it's not as though he just got up and walked away, this isn't Raccoon City. I'm sure it was just a mix up; talk with the other nurses and find the body."

The nurse just nodded before quickly heading off to talk with some of the other hospital workers. Dr. Austin just shook his head, today was going to be a long day and when he headed into his office he found it was not empty. A middle-aged blonde woman was looking through some of the files on his desk.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" He asked, brow knitted in confusion. His eyes darted around the office trying to figure out who this woman was and how she got into his office.

"Yes, I do believe you can," she said with a smile. There was something about that smile that sent chills down his spine. Perhaps it was the fact that it didn't quite reach her pale blues eyes, but whatever the reason he somehow knew this woman was not about to make his life any easier.

* * *

Ada slinked down the hallways of the hospital, her high heels clinking on the linoleum as she passed by a few doctors and nurses. None of them paid her any mind because, as she had learned over the years, as long as she looked like she was supposed to be there, people didn't usually bother her. Today she wasn't wearing her signature red dress but a pair of tight designer jeans and a red halter top, as much as she enjoyed the outfit after Spain she had been trying to wear it less, the trips to the dry cleaners were started to add up

She reached the room where they had moved Leon. She was almost sure that one of the doctors she had just passed would be telling the news to that woman, Hunnigan or whatever her name was, in the waiting room. She entered the room that was basically empty except for the metal table where a body covered in a sheet laid. She approached with slowly even though she knew he wasn't actually dead, he would certainly look the part right now.

It wasn't the first time she had been ordered to kill him. The only difference was Wesker was not like Alex; he tolerated her disobedience so long as she brought back the sample she was originally sent t. Alex on the other hand, had directly ordered her to kill Leon and Alex would not accept defeat in this matter. Her objective depended on her obeying Alex and yet she couldn't bring herself to actually kill Leon.

Somehow that rookie cop had managed to worm his way under her skin. It was like he had seen past her mask in Raccoon City and it was something she could not afford. She thought her "death" meant she would escape this dilemma, but Spain had brought them together once again and it made feelings surface that she did not want to face. She had grown attached to him and that meant she couldn't bring herself to kill him.

The special rounds and gun made by Joe Kendo worked like a charm. The serum inside the bullet slowed Leon's heartbeat and other bodily functions to the point where modern machinery could not detect them. He would appear to be dead, but the effects would be wearing off soon and when that happened she would help him get to a safe house, that way Alex couldn't find him. She knew Leon wouldn't like the idea of lying low for awhile but perhaps she could persuade him to listen. She had been just about to pull the sheet off of his face when her phone rang.

"I'm confirming the kill now. Everything went according to plan."

"I will be the judge of that Ms. Wong. I should be arriving there shortly."

"Of course." Although Ada's tone was calm, she felt a moment of panic at these words. The drugs she had used in the bullet to give Leon the illusion of death would begin losing their effect soon. Not to mention although the drugs could fool most medical technology, she wasn't sure if they would fool Alex Wesker. She hung up the phone and let out a sigh of frustration.

Now she really had a dilemma and it seemed as though fifteen years of undercover work was about to go down the drain. There was no way she could convince Alex that Leon was dead. With Alex seeing the body, she was almost sure that Alex would be able to tell Leon was not really dead. Ada would have to get Leon out of here and fast.

She knew Wesker had a safe house just outside of what had once been Raccoon City; if she could get them there things would be much better. A gasp of air jarred her from her thoughts and she pulled back the cloth and looked into the eyes of the man whose life she had just saved.

"Hey, there handsome," she purred her bravado masking the panic she felt, Alex would be here soon and they needed to leave.

"Um…is this heaven or hell?" His brow knitted in confusion as he started up at the familiar face. Ada Wong had haunted his dreams for years now it seemed only fitting that she would confront him in death as well. He was assuming he was dead; the bullet must have killed him otherwise he would not have blacked out like that. I don't feel dead though, he thought as he glanced around the room trying to get his barrings.

"Which one do you think it is?" She raised an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip as she looked down at him with a smirk on her face.

Honestly, he wasn't sure. Judging by the emptiness of the room and the sterile cleanliness of the table he was currently laying on he was either in a lab or a hospital. "So…I'm actually dead then?"

"Legally yes, physically no, but if we don't get out of here soon, I can't promise the latter will stay that way," she quickly replied. As easy as it was to just keep talking to him, she would have to get him to leave without spending too much time explaining the situation.

He sat up looking around at his surroundings and wincing in pain from the injury on his chest. Someone had sewed the wound shut but it was still sore. "What the hell happened? Who shot me?"

"I did," she said in an exasperated tone, and although she could understand why he had his questions, they really needed to get out of here.

"You shot me! Why?" He exclaimed, going to get off the table before realizing something else. He quickly grabbed the sheet that was starting to slip off of him and wrapped it around his waist like a towel. "And why am I naked?"

"I'd imagine it was to prep you for an autopsy. Here take this." She tossed him a hospital gown that was lying on the table.

"Autopsy? You just said I wasn't dead! What is going on Ada?" Leon really wanted some answers but Ada didn't seem like she was going to be much help in explaining his current situation.

"I'll explain later, right now just put that on. We have to get out of here because the person who ordered me to kill you is coming to make sure you are dead."

The two of them just stared at one another for a moment and Ada crossed her arms in annoyance, they really needed to get out of here and quickly. She could understand why Leon was confused but she couldn't risk Alex showing up, then they would both be dead.

"Uh…you do realize I'm not wearing anything under this right," he said gesturing towards the sheet in his lap.

Ada smirked before turning around so her back was to him, "Didn't think you'd be the shy type."

"Sorry, but you'll have to buy me dinner first," he said with a wry smile putting on the hospital gown. It was obviously not his ideal choice of clothing; it was open in the back and a little on the short side. Although, with the way his day was going so far, it probably wasn't the worst thing that had happened to him. They headed towards the door but Ada paused for a second in the doorway checking to make sure the coast was clear. Luckily Alex had not showed up yet making this task much easier.

As they headed down the hallway they passed a few doctors and nurses. They gave Ada and Leon a few confused glances but everyone seemed so busy that no one wanted to stop and question, the woman in red and the man in the hospital gown.

They went out one of the back doors that led into the hospital parking garage. Ada had her red sports car in one of the spots right by the door.

Once they started driving away, Ada would be able to explain more about what was going on.

She peeled out of the parking lot, her tires screeching at the speed. She had always liked to drive fast and in a red car that caused her to need to talk her way out of a lot of speeding tickets. Today however she couldn't afford to be pulled over. When Alex realized she had gone missing then every cop in town would be after them.

As they drove the only sound that could be heard to was hum of the engine. Ada skillfully weaved in and out of traffic, whipping past other cars at breakneck speed. Finally Leon decided to speak. "So you going to explain what the hell is going on now?" He asked as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It's kinda a long story," she said turning the wheel quickly. Leon winced as his shoulder collided with the side of the card door.

"Give me the cliff notes version then."

"My employer ordered me to kill you, obviously I didn't." The coldness of her tone almost suggested that she regretted the action.

"This has something to do with Genzyme, doesn't it?" He asked. He had a feeling that information Ark had given him would give him trouble but he didn't think it would happen this quickly.

"What did you find out?" She asked with a smirk glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He did have an uncanny knack for finding out information.

"A friend of mine gave me a bunch of intel on them. They're the new Umbrella, aren't they?"

"Yes they are," she said taking another turn far too quickly. This time Leon was ready and braced himself for the violent movement of the car.

"Let me guess, you're working for them now, aren't you?" Although he framed it as a question it was really more a statement. He tried his best to hide the disgust in his voice, he never understood why Ada worked for people like Wesker or whatever organization he supported.

"Not anymore," she sighed in an almost bitter tone. Silence fell between them as she stared at the road that seemed to stretch on for miles ahead of them. She noticed him shift in his seat as though he was unable to find a comfortable position. She knew she wasn't really answering his questions but right now she had more important things to focus on, like how the hell she was going to destory Alex Wesker now.

He rested his elbow against the window and leaned on his hand, starting at the city passing by quickly. He could tell his questions were getting on her nerves; after all she was a woman of mystery and usually didn't stick around to answer them. Now, however, he was presented with an interesting opportunity. There was nowhere for her to run, well technically she could jump out of the car and in all honesty he wouldn't put it past her, but it didn't seem like she was going to. Still he felt like he needed to have some questions answered.

"Ada?" He waited for her to turn and look at him but she kept her eyes glued on the road. Knowing she wasn't going to give in to him, he asked his question anyway. "Why are you doing this?"

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and gripping the wheel tighter. Why am I doing this? She had just thrown away fifteen years of undercover work all because she had a soft spot for the man beside her. It was foolish to say the least. "Why does it matter?" She said with a defeated sigh, she would have gladly answered any other question he asked but that one.

"You just went through a hell of a lot of trouble to make it look like I'm dead. I just wanted to know why," he said with a shrug. He didn't really expect her to answer the question and although he had a whole lot more, he knew now was probably not a good time. Even though he had been unconscious for awhile he was surprisingly tired. He would like to think that she decided not to kill him because of connection the two of them had ever since Raccoon City. However, it didn't seem as though she planned to explain her motives anytime soon. Right now, even if he didn't like the idea he was just going to have to go along for the ride. He slouched in his chair, and rested his head against the window before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Sherry woke up from the first seven hour sleep she had in quite a long time. She shuffled downstairs in her PJ's and a robe, although she knew her uncle didn't like her wasting the day like this, she also knew he wouldn't mind too much since it had been awhile since she had visited.

She headed to the main lab where she knew he would be working. She had almost forgotten Claire was there until Sherry saw her lounging on one of the lab tables reading a book, while Wesker poured some liquid into a test tube. Sherry watched the two of them with interest; she found it odd that Claire was even in the lab in the first place and ever more unusual that he allowed her to be there while he worked.

She watched as he paused in his work for a moment, looking around the lab space. Claire didn't even looked up from her reading as she grabbed one of the graduated cylinders on the counter to her left and placed it over on the counter where Wesker was working. He didn't thank her or acknowledge that she had helped; he simply took the cylinder as though it had been there the whole time and continued on with his work.

"Good morning," Sherry said as she stood in the doorway, finally making her presence known.

The pair stopped what they were doing and turned to face the young woman, her Uncle grimaced at her attire while Claire's brow was knitted in thought.

He looked down at his watch. "You do realize it is well past noon?"

"I guess I was more tired than I thought," she shrugged.

"Wait, if it's noon how long have we been in here?" Claire asked, looking over at Wesker. Ordinarily she had little knowledge of how much time had passed but with Sherry here, a normal human that had to go through everyday functions, time suddenly seemed important again.

"Since we finished your training probably about five hours," he said, glancing at his watch.

"I've been in here for five hours?" Her disbelief was evident in her tone. She knew she spent a lot of time around Wesker while he was in the lab working but having a quantity to it made the realization even more concrete.

"That is what I just said, isn't it?" He drawled, looking over at her with an exasperated expression. Claire returned the look with a glare.

"Well, I'm going to go and get something to eat, does anyone want anything?" Sherry said looking over at the two of them. She hadn't been around the two of them very long but she could already tell that Wesker and Claire's relationship was a precarious one.

"I do not require anything," Wesker turned his attention back to his work.

"I'm not hungry but I'll kept you company," Claire hopped off the table and headed out of the lab with Sherry. Once outside the lab she said, "Plus it's probably a good idea that I don't spend more time with Wesker than I have to.

Sherry gave Claire a puzzled look at this statement.

"What?" Claire asked.

"I just find it odd that you guys have been basically living together for like what four months now and yet neither of you address each other by your first names."

Claire knitted her brow in thought. Sherry had a point and it was something Claire had never really thought about. Calling Wesker by his first name just seemed like such a foreign concept. Most of the time when she had heard people talk about him they too would always address him as Wesker, often spitting out the name of though it were poison, or at least that was how she recalled her brother saying it. The few times she heard anyone call him Albert was at the Christmas party.

"I guess it just seems weird," Claire replied, thinking this was perhaps the best answer.

"Yeah, I guess," Sherry said in an offhand tone, though she appeared to be deep in thought. If Claire was a captive, she had a feeling her Uncle would not have given her this much freedom. Sherry tired to view the situation as if she were a stranger, if she had no knowledge of her Uncle or Claire and she had seen the two of them interacting the way they did at times she would assume Claire was a guest in the house. Maybe a guest who had overstayed their welcome slightly but a guest all the same.

From what she could tell Claire bothered her Uncle from time to time, but he seemed to like having her around. After all, he had actually stopped working to go and train Claire, and her Uncle rarely made time for other people, especially when it involved helping them.

Sherry went into the fridge and began to rummage through some of the items, trying to figure out what she was going to make. Claire sighed as she plopped down on the stool and rested her arms on the counter. She had forgotten what it was like to need to eat all the time and sleep for seven hours. She used to think about this often, desperately trying to cling to some route to give herself some semblance of normality. The strange thing was that now being infected and not needing those things seemed normal, but having Sherry here was a reminder of just how different she was.

While Sherry ate the two of them talked some more. Mostly Claire just asked Sherry questions about her life. Sherry explained a bit of her research and how she had first gotten into her field. She was going to Harvard at the moment, and they had one of the top virology programs in the nation. She was hoping to get a grant for her research, perhaps publish it and being back some legitimacy to the Birkin name. Claire imagined it would be difficult for Sherry to work in the field she did as some people must remember her father's work and how it was tied to the Raccoon City Incident and Umbrella. It was interesting though because despite all of that, Sherry's eyes would spark with admiration when she talked about her research. Claire had to give Sherry some credit, her resiliency was inspiring, and no matter what happened in her life she seemed to think positively.

After breakfast Sherry went upstairs to shower and Claire walked into the lab where Wesker was still working, no surprise there. She was thinking about what Sherry had said earlier and thought she would try something. Although Wesker had not stopped working he did glance in her direction for a second, probably trying to figure out if it was her or Sherry entering the lab.

"Albert?" As she spoke a puzzled expression crossed her features as the unfamiliar syllables rolled off her tongue.

He turned to face her, his expression mirroring her own. "Yes?" He said expectantly.

She shrugged. "Sorry, Sherry mentioned that we never address each other by our first names and I thought I would try it."

"Haven't you learned by now that your curiosity often gets the better of you, Claire?" He quipped with an amused smirk before he turned his attention back to his work.

It was certainly interesting to hear him say her name. She found that she actually enjoyed hearing him say it. It wasn't the first time he had; she could recall that with great clarity. It had been on Rockford Island. "You must be the lovely, Claire Redfield." His tone had been mocking then and sinister in nature. They had exchanged a few more words before he started to beat the shit of out her, and that was how she had come to remember Albert Wesker.

Now things were different though. His tone was still mocking but it was jovial and he couldn't hurt her like he had on Rockford Island, she was stronger now. He wasn't a stranger anymore, and that used to concern her but now things were different. Their relationship was strange to say the least, she was supposed to hate him and in fact she probably should after everything he had done to her, and yet she couldn't.

"I've learned, but my life would be so mundane without it," she said, walking into the lab and settling back down on the lab table and picking up her book. She turned to the page where she had left off. Currently she was reading old research notes and doing her best to learn all the terminology associated with the science. As she poured over the notes some more, she felt the need to ask a question that she had never really put much thought into, but after reading a bunch of notes she was beginning to realize even more how unlikely it was that someone would react to the virus the way she did.

"Why am I as you put it 'one of the chosen ones'?" She asked looking up from the research. He paused in his work and headed towards one of the computers and pulled up an image of the virus in her body. She got up from the table and headed towards the screen to look at the image. She had never taken much science in school but she could tell by the almost fuzzy appearance of the cells she was looking at were not normal.

"I haven't quite figured out what gene is responsible for it but for some reason it alters the way one's immune system would work in such a situation," he explained. She was surprised that he didn't use his usual patronizing tone when he spoke about his work.

As Claire looked at the image she found it very interesting to look at. At first the idea of being infected had disgusted her and she wanted nothing more than to find a cure, but she learned that it certainly had its benefits. "What does it do to my immune system?"

"Ordinarily when a person is infected with a virus their body works to defend itself against foreign invasion, while doing this your immune system causes your body irritation, your temperature increases rapidly, your throat becomes sore, all things that are part of the process of this defense. Although viruses like the T-Virus evoke a similar problem, the symptoms are a bit different as you saw with the Raccoon City Incident." He reached over to grab the mouse and changed the image on the computer to another image of her virus. She knew he was close to her, because the familiar scent of his cologne, invaded her senses once again, and she had to struggle to focus on his next statement. "The interesting thing about you is that instead of trying to fight off the virus your immune system allowed it to alter your cells."

"So my body just gave up? That doesn't sound like me at all," she said, looking over at the screen with a sigh.

"Think of it this way; your body was intelligent enough to give in to a superior force," he said with a smirk. She turned to face him with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Is that how you justify why you're infected?" She asked.

"I suppose."

"Well at least you had a choice in the matter," She said a bitter laugh. Although she had grown rather used to being infected she still never liked that fact that she didn't get a choice.

She noticed the corner of his mouth twitch before he sharply replied "It was the means to an end." He moved away from her and started to head towards where he had been working awhile ago.

She knew that tone meant she had gone too far and that she was heading towards talking about something he did not want to talk about. Still, sometimes she couldn't help but test her boundaries. "And the end always justifies the means?"

"Indeed."

Claire couldn't find that statement to be true. She thought of Raccoon City and the devastation that had happened there, she thought about Sherry and her family. "I think you're wrong."

"Of course you do," he snarled.

"By your logic, everything that happened in Raccoon City was just a means to an end."

"Yes." He grabbed a test tube out of the centrifuge and looking at the liquid inside.

"Even what happened to Sherry's family?" She knew she was in trouble the moment she had finished the statement. The glass test tube shattered from the pressure of Wesker's grip and he clenched his jaw before rounding on her. She started to back away slowly until she hit the counter.

"I suggest you don't speak about things you can't even begin to understand." His tone was dangerously calm as he leaned closer to her. He gripped the counter on either side of her effectively trapping her between his arms. She heard the metal bend from the intensity of his grip. She was about to reply when Sherry entered the room and stood in the doorway looking at the pair with her brow knitted in confusion.

"What is it Sherry?" He snapped, looking over at her as his eyes flashed. He released his death grip on the counter and pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose as he turned to face her. Claire looked down at where his hand had been a moment ago and noticed a rather large indent.

Sherry spoke hesitantly "Can I use the coms room? I need to talk to my lab partner and make sure he's taking care of the cultures properly."

"Yes, the password is still the same," he said, letting out a deep breath as his voice returned to a neutral tone.

"Do you want to come with me, Claire?" Sherry asked. Claire opened her mouth to respond but Wesker interrupted.

"Ms. Redfield will be staying with me. I may need to have a word with her in the training room."

"Okay…" Sherry said with some reluctance. She knew it would be a bad idea to bother her Uncle when he was in a bad mood and she didn't know what Claire had done to piss him off but Sherry was worried for her all the same. She left for the communication room but decided to keep an ear open just in case, she didn't think her Uncle would hurt Claire too much but still it was something that she was worried about.

After Sherry left Wesker stepped away from Claire and ran his hands through his hair before starting to clean up the broke test tube glass. Claire just stood there frozen unsure of what to do. She knew that going to the training room meant that Wesker was most likely going to use her as a human punching bag, but when he did not order her to go there immediately she didn't know if she was supposed to stay or go. Finally after a long uncomfortable silence she said "Should I head to the training room?"

"Do you want to go to the training room?" He spoke in a cold tone and although his expression was blank she knew he must still be angry.

"Well no, but…"

"Miss Redfield, I have work to do, unless you have something important you wish to discuss, your presence is not required here," he said as he turned his attention back to one of the computers and began to enter in some data.

"Okay," she said, pausing in the doorway and looking back towards Wesker as he started to work. She felt compelled to apologize but then she remembered how he felt about apologies and decided against it. His jaw was still clenched as his fingers pounded on the keys of the computer. She had discovered yet another subject that was taboo to discuss. It was probably best if she just went upstairs and left him alone for awhile.

* * *

When Alex arrived at the hospital she could already tell something was wrong. She had expected Miss Wong to be in the parking lot to escort her to the room where Mr. Kennedy would be. Immediately she began to do some damage control in her head, she knew a few phone calls would certainly need to be made. She strolled through the waiting room and into the back of the hospital; no one stopped her because she had a look of determination on her face that suggested she was not someone to be trifled with.

Once of the nurses entered the hallway from one of the side rooms muttering curses under her breath and looking panicked.

"Is something the matter, dear?" Alex asked the nurse, thinking she might be able to get some answers.

"Oh it's nothing," the nurse said with a nervous smile before mumbling "I just lost a dead body. Now they are never going to trust me with any of the live patients."

"I'm sure it will turn up," Alex said, with a reassuring smile before the nurse frantically walked off in the other direction.

Alex headed towards one of the doctor's offices, assuming they would have files on what had happened to Mr. Kennedy. The file she was looking for was sitting right on the desk. Leon S. Kennedy was pronounced dead about half an hour ago. She could recall a time when she was looking at multiple death certificates, and each one felt like an accomplishment.

Derrick Wesker, Felicia Wesker, and Miles Wesker's death certificates were spread out on the desk in front of her. All examples that the strain of the Progenitor Virus she was giving them was slowly killing them off and in a way that was not very detectable. She looked into the microscope at the sample of the virus in her own blood stream, and after much research she had discovered some very interesting things about the virus. Although it amplified her performance it did not stop her cells from aging, and stopping this aging was going to be her sole focus from now on. However, Spencer had other plans for her and they didn't really correspond with her own.

"I see you've received the news," her mentor said as she stood over her.

"Yes, tragic," she said dryly, not looking up from her work. She was unable to hold any form of sincere emotion towards the Wesker Children she was supposed to be looking after. To her they were nothing more than a nuisance that needed to be dealt with.

"You assured me that Progenitor would be effective," Spencer said reaching for microscope that she was looking in. He leaned closer to her and said in a dangerously calm tone. "I don't usually tolerate this kind of failure, Alexandra."

"In some cases the virus will not react well with certain individuals, obviously these individuals are not as gifted as anticipated," Alex said, not backing down from Spencer's invasion of her personal space. In an effort to control her temper she gripped the seat of her chair.

"At least Albert is showing a great deal of promise, but I had expected more success after you took over the project."

"I can assure you Ozwell, my research will be life changing."

"I'll leave you to your work then…" He paused and turned to face her once again. "And as you know I only tolerate failure for so long. I expect these life changing results soon, Alexandra."

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A voice behind her asked, causing her to return to the present.

"Yes, I do believe you can," she said with a smile as she turned to face him. This was the doctor responsible for filing the paperwork of Leon's death; he would be useful to her. "I understand you operated on an Agent who worked for my husband. A Mr. Leon S. Kennedy?"

"That is correct. However, I cannot disclose much information about him, if you have any further questions you can speak with the FBI agents working on the case," the doctor said as he walked behind his desk and looked at the files that she had been looking at only moment ago. Alex headed towards the door to the doctor's office and closed it before speaking. "Yes, I am aware of the FBI's involvement in the case, I hired them. What I need is to make sure you turn in that death certificate regardless of whatever has gone wrong here."

Alex wasn't sure how Ada had managed it she must have taken Leon somewhere else. When she had done a background check on Ada before hiring her, Alex discovered that she had been on many difficult missions and always managed to get out relatively unscathed. This meant that she was intelligent and had a knack for survival. Alex assumed Ada was the type to follow orders and get the job done; apparently this was not the case.

"Unfortunately bodies can get lost during a shift change; it's very likely that Mr. Kennedy's body will show up in a morgue shortly…" Dr. Austin said quickly.

"I sure it will, thank you for your time," Alex said opening the door once again and pulling out her cell phone. If the body was 'lost' than that most likely meant that Ada had managed to fake Leon's death. Still the situation could be salvaged. Yes, she had wanted Kennedy dead and out of the way, however the fact that Leon was legally dead meant she could still continue with her original plan.

* * *

When Claire left the room she wasn't exactly sure where to go, usually she would go upstairs and take a shower but instead she thought she should find Sherry to let her know she was okay. The communication room was dark when she entered but she could hear voices she did not recognize speaking. Sherry was sitting in the large chair in the center of the room watching the screen with a small smile, but she paused the video when Claire entered the room.

"What are you watching?" Claire asked looking at the screen. The image on the video was not completely clear; in fact it had a grainy quality to it that suggested it was old. It showed two young men in lab coats, one of them wearing sunglass, working in a lab.

"They're kinda like old home videos. Most of them are pretty destroyed but this one's in decent shape," Sherry said turning to look at Claire sit on the arm rest of the chair. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just overstepped my boundaries again; it's nothing I can't handle," Claire said with a shrug. She wasn't entirely sure she believed her nonchalant tone but she didn't want Sherry to worry. She turned her attention towards the video and she realized that she recognized one of the scientists. "Is that…?"

"Yeah, that's Uncle Albert, that's my Dad, my Mom's filming and that's me." Sherry said pointing the each person in the film. Claire hadn't even noticed the small baby carrier between the two men working until Sherry pointed to it. Sherry started the film again and Wesker spoke as he turned towards the camera. Claire noticed that his voice still held that same annoyed tone.

"I don't think you are supposed to have a camera in here," he drawled before glancing over at Sherry who let out a gurgling noise as William idly wiggled his fingers at her while looking through the microscope. "Or a baby for that matter."

"It's a lunch break Al, I think it will be okay," Annette said.

"Yes, but we're trying to work," Wesker said, gesturing to Birkin and himself.

"I'm aware, Will hasn't stopped working for days, that's why I had to bring his daughter here so he would actually spend time with her," Annette sighed.

Sherry raised both her hands in the air and started to fuss. "William, can you hold her?"

"One second," he replied as Sherry began to cry and Wesker grimaced at the high pitched noise.

"Please deal with this," Wesker implored, looking over at Annette.

"I'm holding the camera, just pick her up for a second Al, it won't kill you."

Wesker looked skeptical but did so anyways, holding the infant under her arms so her feet dangled in the air. She squirmed around for a bit but stopped crying almost instantly, staring at him with wide blue eyes.

Tiny hands reached up to grab his sunglasses and he sternly said "No" and moved his head away from her hands.

The toddler's mood quickly changed, her lip began to quiver and her eyes filled with tears, as she began to cry again. Wesker quickly put her back in the baby carrier and took off his glasses so he could rub his temples. "Will, please deal with your offspring," he snapped

"I'm almost finished with this," William said, pouring some liquid into a test tube and swirling it around for a bit. Wesker looked over at the camera and raised and eyebrow in question.

Annette replied, "This is my half hour break; she's primarily William's responsibly at the moment." Wesker glanced over at the crying infant.

"Fine, take them!"Wesker snarled before handing the sunglasses to Sherry. The baby grabbed them and instantly stopped crying. She started to chew on the edge of them excitedly.

"Say 'thank you' to your Uncle Wesker," Annette cooed.

Sherry giggled, waving the sunglasses around before putting them in her mouth again.

"At least she stopped crying," he drawled, the corner of his lip upturned slightly in what could almost be the beginning of a smile. If you blinked you probably would have missed it because it was gone a second later as he turned and started to walk away. He looked back for a moment pausing to say, "I'm going to the cafeteria, does anyone want anything?"

William, who had stopped working for a moment, looked over at the baby, he reached for the sunglasses and Sherry held onto them tightly. "Let go, Sherry," he scolded in a rather paternal tone. A small tug-o-war ensued before William was able to pry the sunglasses away from the infant. He handed them to Wesker, who took them gingerly before wiping the saliva off of his shirt. "No, we will be fine Al."

Sherry pouted now that her new toy had been taken away and William grabbed a test tube from the counter and handed it to her.

"William!" Annette scolded.

"It's fine, they give us a bunch of them and it's hasn't been used…I think…" the scientist said with a shrug before the video went blurry.

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my parent's hadn't have worked for Umbrella," Sherry said with a sigh.

"Things would certainly be very different," Claire agreed. It was strange seeing that video, because it showed a side of Sherry's life that Claire had never seen before. Sherry's parents had actually cared a lot about her, and Claire wondered what had happened that had caused them to become so distant. She had a feeling Umbrella was to blame, the company had ruined her life and countless others, and it only made sense that it would ruin Sherry's as well.

Sherry began to fast forwards through some of the static before stopping on some footage of her mother and father watching a young Sherry open presents by a large Christmas tree. She paused the video on the image of her mother and father smiling down at her while she looked up at them with joy. Sherry let out a sigh and brought her knees up to her chest curling up in the chair. "They just look so happy."

"Yeah, they do," Claire said, looking at her with sympathy.

"It's hard you know, separating my feelings about them. I see these old videos and I see my parents and they're just people, you know, they had hopes and dreams. But then I remember everything they did, and I just don't understand how anyone is capable of being so horrible," Sherry said, with a sigh.

"I suppose it's probably better to focus on the good in them rather than the bad," Claire said, looking over at the screen once again.

"I know, and for the most part I do but, it still doesn't stop the nightmares. It's been twelve years and it seems like every night I still end up going back to Raccoon City."

Claire nodded in understanding, if anyone knew what Sherry had been through it was her. She looked over to the doorway because she thought she heard someone approach. Wesker was standing in the doorway and she knew he had heard everything they were just talking about.

"Sherry, I need to do some work in here," Wesker said making his presence know to her. Sherry quickly shut off the old video and got up from the chair. "Yeah sure, I have some research I should probably be doing anyway."

When she left, Wesker sat down in the chair and started to type in a bunch of information. He paused when he realized that Claire was still leaning on the edge of the chair. "Is there any particular reason you are still here?"

"You do realize she is upset right?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"If she wants to keep watching those damned videos even though they cause her pain that's none of my concern." He continued to type in some information pulling up some images from Umbrella satellites that were still operational.

Claire thought back to the video she had just seen and how a younger Wesker had interacted with Sherry. There had been the ghost of a smile on his face, and from what Claire could tell it looked genuine, which was a rare occurrence.

"Have you ever told Sherry that you cared for her?" Claire asked, trying to keep her tone neutral but finding herself growing angry at the idea that he probably hadn't. Sherry's parents hadn't either and now they were gone.

Wesker let out a sigh of annoyance, rubbing his temples. "No, nor do I see the point."

"Of course you don't, you're only capable of cruelty," she seethed.

In the dark room she could easily see his red eyes flash from behind his glasses as he clenched his fists. He rose from the chair so he was now towering over her.

He leaned down so that his face was a mere inches away from hers and he whispered "You haven't the slightest idea as to what I am capable of."

She tensed at the threat, preparing herself for the inevitable pain that was to follow; Wesker's threats were rarely empty. "Yeah well I've handled everything your thrown at me so far, so go ahead, and make my day."

She knew that comment would piss him off, but she couldn't help herself. She had expected him to hit her then, and send her flying across the room like he usually did. What she was not prepared for him to close the distance between them and claim her lips with his own. She froze eyes wide with shock as any intelligent thought was replaced with the sheer panic about the situation she was currently in.

He couldn't recall what had made him do it, but her statement had hit a nerve and he intended to prove her wrong. He realized this was a rather unconventional way to prove a point; however he did not have much time to ponder the notion because Claire had regained some sense and was resting her hands on his chest. He had expected her to push him away and for a moment this seemed like her intention but then she returned the kiss with fervor. He certainly wasn't about to let her take control of this exchange, he snaked and arm around her waist pulling her closer to him.

The kiss began to mirror one of their training sessions, an extension of a fight as both of them battled to take control of the act. Much like their training sessions there was no way that Claire was going to succeed. Her hands had continued their journey up his chest and her fingers were now starting to weave themselves through his perfect blond locks.

This act seemed to bring Wesker to his senses and he broke away from her quickly distancing himself as though she had burned him. He took a deep breath, running his hand though his hair smoothing out any of the unkempt pieces. In three long strides he had made it to the door and quickly vanished leaving Claire alone in the dark room.

Her hand went to her lips that had moments ago been locked with a man she was supposed to hate.

**Well I realize it's taken about fourteen chapters and over 100 pages on word but the Wesker/Claire romance is actually starting to gain some speed. I really wanted to build up to this because I wanted it to seem plausible so thanks for being patient and also for reading and reviewing. I always love hearing feedback from my readers. **


	15. Important Author's Note Please Read

**Dear Readers,**

**You know how all of the TV shows you watch in the fall go on summer hiatus so that the writers can have a bit of a vacation and how you are probably angry at said writers because they left you on a big cliff hanger and now you have to wait till next season to find out what happens? Well unfortunately this is about to happen to you again not with a TV show but this story. **

**I wanted to try and have chapter 15 out to you guys before this happened but due to unforeseen circumstances it is only in the rough and I don't think I will have it out before I leave for London this summer. **

**I wanted to write you all this letter as a way of letting you know that I have not given up on this story and have big plans for its future. I am so glad people have been keeping up with it but I plan to study aboard this summer and want to make the most of my experience in the U.K. So consider this a summer hiatus, I return from London in August and will have chapter 15 ready for you sometime during that month.**

**Thank you everyone for sticking with this story thus far. Also if anyone is from London, or nearby there, or has been to London and has any suggestions about places to go that would be awesome. Again thanks for reading; I will have a new chapter for you in August. Have a wonderful summer.**

**Captain Turlow**


	16. Tension

**Okay so I realize it's been like forever and a day since I last updated but as my author's note said I was away studying abroad in England for the past 6 weeks. Although a bit jet-lagged I figured I would still be able to publish this chapter I had mostly finished before heading on the trip. My beta has combed through most of it but there may be a few typos because I added some last minute stuff and rather than just send it to her one more time, I figured I might as well post the next chapter for you guys. **

Claire's mind was reeling over the event that had just occurred. Wesker had just kissed her, and although this was shocking enough on its own, even more confusing was the fact that she had returned the kiss. She kissed Albert Wesker, the man she was supposed to hate, the man who had tried to kill her brother on numerous occasions, the reason she was stuck here.

More troubling than anything else was the fact that she actually enjoyed it. She would be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive, but that didn't mean she wanted to act on this notion. Apparently she didn't have much control over that however; initially she had wanted to push him away which would have been the smart thing to do.

Actually come to think of it, she couldn't recall the last time she was romantically involved with someone. Work kept her very busy and she was constantly traveling all over the world, most of the guys she dated felt insulted that she was sneak out during odd hours of the night because she had to catch some flight. Then she would be gone for months with little means to communicate with the states. Maybe this was how she could justify her actions, it had just been awhile and Wesker was the only man she had spend considerable time with in almost a year.

She could remember many of the events with great clarity, the day she first found out she was infected, the facility in Africa, finding out about the Wesker children, kissing Wesker. She shook her head trying to clear her mind, the sooner she put this behind her the better.

She headed out into the living room and noticed Sherry sitting on the couch reading over some lab notes. Claire really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone and she wanted to just head upstairs and take a shower. After all, she had no idea what to tell Sherry about what had just happened.

"Actually I'd rather not tell anyone about that…" she thought.

"Um…is everything okay?" Sherry asked, causing Claire to pause on the stairs. The young blonde looked at her with concern.

"Yeah…fine…" Claire hesitantly replied, all the while heading further up the stairs.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit distracted," Sherry said pushing the matter further.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind is all," She said with a reassuring smile in an attempt to make everything seem okay. She knew she didn't handle that well but she really didn't know what to say. As she headed into the bathroom to take a shower, she paused as she walked past the mirror noticing that her eyes weren't blue. She still hadn't quite gotten used to her eyes changing color like that, and they were quickly fading to blue once again.

The blue eyed woman before her should be the one she recognized and yet she didn't feel like she was herself anymore. She wasn't helping anyone, or working against bio-terrorism. The last time she had seen her brother she had hurt him and the last time she had seen Leon she had injured him and told him to leave. Were either of them even looking for her anymore? She knew staying here was keeping her friends and family safe, but the realization that they may have given up looking for her made her feel very much alone.

Hell, after what I just did, Chris will probably disown me, she thought looking away from her reflection.

* * *

Chris had been on the phone with various people for hours trying to find out any information he could about Leon after the shooting. Finally he had reached Ingrid Hunnigan who told him some bad news. Leon was dead, and on top of that, the FBI was on their way to the house to talk with both him and Jill.

He couldn't understand why; it wasn't like he shot Leon. Since Leon called Chris all those years ago to rescue Claire from Rockford Island the two of them had been friends. The doorbell rang and he answered it. Two men in suits were standing outside as well as a whole investigation team. One of the agents held up a warrant and said "Mr. Redfield, we have permission to search the premises."

"Yeah, okay…" he said, standing aside and allowing the two agents and the search team to enter the house. Jill, who had been sitting on the couch reading a newspaper, put the paper down and she went to stand but the agent motioned for her to sit back down. Chris joined her on the couch and one of the agents made himself comfortable in an arm chair while the other stood. The two agents were typical suits, and judging by the way they were behaving it was clear that the seated agent was a veteran and had been doing government work for quite some time.

"I'm Special Agent Greg Finnegan and this is my partner Agent James Carlson. We have a few questions to ask the two of you, if that is alright?" Asked the seated agent.

"Yeah, anything to help," said Chris, nodding in understanding. Jill however eyed the search team with caution, she couldn't understand what they were doing here if the Agents just wanted to ask a few question.

"I understand that Agent Kennedy was a friend of yours," said Agent Finnegan with a look of concern.

"Yes, he was," Jill said darkly as Chris solemnly nodded in reply.

Meanwhile, Agent Carlson turned and looked at a row of pictures and awards on the mantle place. "I assume you were aware of who he was working for?"

"Yeah, some Senator,William, I think" said Chris his brow knitted in confusion as he watched the search team looking through the closet full of guns in the hallway. The closet was specially built to safely house weapons. "We have permits for those."

Agent Finnegan waved a hand as if to say that was fine. "Yes, he was working for a Senator, Senator Williams to be exact. And he just so happens to be very supportive of a pharmaceutical company called Genzyme, and because of that, he has had a few assassination attempts over the years. Do you know who has been behind all of these attempts? People who just can't believe that the world is moving on," said Agent Finnegan looking at Chris and Jill pointedly.

"Special Tactics and Rescue Service, Raccoon City," said Agent Carlson with interest, looking at one of the plaques. "That must have one hell of a story behind it."

"Yeah, it does," Jill darkly replied, watching the search team take inventory of all the weapons they had stockpiled in the house.

"The shot came from a custom made rifle, and judging by the data, we believe the shooter had Special Forces training."

"You're crazy! Why the hell would either of us kill Leon!" Chris shouted, his temper getting the better of him. He did not like that these Agents were trying to suggest that they had something to do with any of this.

"We're not suggesting you intended to kill Agent Kennedy. We believe the target was Senator Williams," Agent Carlson clarified.

"Look, I had relatives that lived in Raccoon City and I understand what it's like and you two have devoted your lives to fighting bio-terrorism and your country thanks you for it. I can see how a company like Genzyme seems like Umbrella," Agent Finnegan.

"Yeah, but I'm a sharpshooter. Even if I did want to kill that Senator-which I don't-I don't think I would have missed."

"True, but your girlfriend here isn't," Agent Finnegan said as he gestured towards her.

"What!" Both Chris and Jill exclaimed at the same time.

"That's ridiculous! Jill wouldn't do something like that and she's been here with me the whole time!" Chris couldn't believe this was happening right now. There was no possible way either of them would want to kill Leon. Jill was feeling something similar but she was also very suspicious of these government agents.

"Mr. Redfield, perhaps you would like to go with Agent Carlson, so that I can have a word with Miss Valentine alone."

"Look, we had nothing to do with any of this and are more than willing to answer any of your questions. Chris can stay here and listen to whatever it is you want to talk to me about," She said trying to keep her voice calm. She had no reason to be worried, since she wasn't guilty of any crime but the fact that she was being accused of one still made her nervous.

"Alright," Agent Finnegan said looking at Chris with a weary expression. He then turned his attention to Jill. "I understand recently that the BSAA psychologist diagnosed you with PTSD."

"No, it was Acute Stress Disorder."

"But you were strongly advised not to participate in field missions."

Jill winced and she felt Chris look at her with a questioning gaze. When she had told him she was clear for missions a few months ago, she had purposefully left that detail out. She didn't want him to worry and she thought that getting back to her normal work would help her get over this. "Yes, I was."

"And during the shooting, do you have anyone to account for your whereabouts besides, Mr. Redfield."

"Possibly some of the neighbors, I went out and got the mail around that time."

"I see, well we will have to talk with them as well," said Agent Finnegan straightening his jacket as he got up from the armchair. He looked over at the search team to see that they were done with their work before looking over at Agent Carlson. "Well, I think that's about all we need for now."

"We ask that you not leave the state until you've been completely ruled out as a suspect," said Agent Carlson in a very serious tone.

"Yes, we will be sure to do that," said Jill looking over at Chris who was silently fuming as he glared over at the two agents. With that being said the two agents thanked them for their cooperation and left with the search team.

* * *

Wesker stormed into the lab only to realize that there was nothing he actually needed to be working on right now. The sample he was testing still had a few hours before it showed any results. He sat down in front of the computer, most of the files he had wished to access in the communication room he could get here anyway, so he was able to get his

Although he had been merely trying to prove a point, he hadn't anticipated things would go the way they had. He always prided himself in being above petty needs of the flesh, and yet he had lost control of himself for a moment. He reasoned that from a strictly biological standpoint, Claire was the only woman infected with a virus similar to his and by that, logically capable of producing viable offspring. Unfortunately, on a rather primal level, physical attraction was bound to ensue.

Still, this was a problem he had not had to deal with in a rather long time. Yes, woman had caught his attention before and his last assistant, Excella, had tried to seduce him, but ultimately he was always in complete control of the situation. As long as it would remain this way, he wouldn't have a problem but the notion that such a form of weakness existed was troubling to say the least.

Deciding it would be best to do something to take his mind off things; he headed to the training room to practice some fighting moves. He perfected most of the moves necessary to face any opponent but he would hate to allow himself to get out of practice. However his thoughts seemed to be getting the better of him, his technique was sloppy and rather than make the situation better it only infuriated him further.

A few hours later he decided that he had enough practice and headed upstairs to take a shower. When he reached the bedroom he realized that the water in the bathroom was still running. He also noticed a pile of clothes sitting on the bed. He looked at his watch and estimated Claire had been in the shower for over 3 hours. Wesker really didn't have the patience to wait until she decided to leave so he yelled towards the bathroom, "Miss Redfield, if you do not vacate the bathroom in the next five minutes, I am coming in their regardless of your current state of dress."

A moment later the shower water turned off and Claire came out into the bathroom with a black towel wrapped around her body. She hugged her arms around herself before nodding towards the doorway to the bathroom and saying "Okay, I'm out. What the hell is your problem?"

_You_. Was the answer that first came to mind but naturally he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of knowing this. He noticed that even thought she was wrapped in a towel, she was hardly dry. He reasoned that this was probably because she was fearful of him acting on his threat and in her hast, had vacated the room as quickly as possible. However, as he studied a drop of water running down her leg, he really wished she had taken the full five minutes she was allotted. "Five minutes was ample time to put on clothing before exiting the bathroom."

"Not if my clothes were out here." She said heading towards the closet. Wesker didn't reply and just stormed into the bathroom. He could still hear her moving around in the bedroom and he turned on the shower water to block out the noise. The sooner he didn't think about her the better. In theory as long as he focused on his work he should be fine, he still needed to figure out a way to stop taking the dosages of serum to stabilize himself. He realized he might have figured out a solution he merely needed to run some more tests before he decided to use it on himself. Yes, concentrating on his research would defiantly help the situation.

* * *

As soon as the car came to a stop, Leon jolted awake and looked around at his surroundings. He was inside what looked like a garage, lit with florescent lights and everything was white. He couldn't tell how long he had been asleep and Ada was already getting out of the car so it was clear she wasn't about to explain anything to him.

He followed her over to the back of the car and she opened the trunk. Leon looked inside and notice it was mostly full of weapons but there was also a pile of clothes as well.

"Those are for you," she nodded towards the clothes and she reached inside the trunk to pull out a small wooden box that was hidden under a few of the weapons.

He reached for the clothes and noticed that the shirt was standard issue from the police academy that he sometimes wore around the house. "Breaking and entering is felony."

"Your windows need better locks," she said with a smirk.

"I live on the fifth floor; I didn't think it was necessary." He noticed her holding a small box closer to her as she started to head towards a door to their left. He quickly followed her, not sure where the door lead and not wanting to lose her.

Ada walked over to what looked like a doorbell and pressed her finger to the button. A moment later, the door began to click as the sound of many locks began to shift and the door swung open. There was a modest sized living room with a black couch and a large bookshelf. There was also a kitchen that was part of the living room but a counter and tile flooring made a distinct separation between the two rooms. Finally, there was a closed door that Leon only assumed was the bedroom on the far side of the living room.

Ada headed towards the kitchen and began to open the cabinets, while Leon decided to head into the bedroom to change. Once he was back in his own clothes instead of that hospital gown, he headed out into living room. He half expected her to have disappeared but instead she was still searching through the cabinets, most of which looked empty. She glanced over in his direction but didn't say anything.

He sat down on one of the barstools and looked over at her. He noticed the small wooden box was at her side, on the top was an ornate design of a butterfly, very similar to the one that was on the dress she had worn in Spain. She continued her search of the cabinet and he could tell that she wasn't going to tell him anything unless he asked. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on now?"

She stopped and looked over at him with an unreadable expression. "It's complicated." She headed towards one of the other doors in the kitchen and he thought she might leave so he called out "Ada, wait."

"It's a closet," she said with a wry smile, opening the door and showing it to him. She reached inside and pulled out a first aid kit. "Your bandage is going to need to be replaced."

He looked down at his shirt and noticed that some blood was already soaking through the fabric; he must have torn his stitches while he changed. She set the kit down on the counter next to him. He started to take his shirt off and thought of the last time they had been in a situation like this, but Raccoon City seemed like such a long time ago. "At least this time we can do this properly," he said as she started to remove the bandage.

"You didn't take a bullet for me this time though," she said with a small smile.

"I would have," he said, looking over at her, their eyes met for a moment before she looked away and focused on what she was doing. Her fingers ran along a scare on his back and he tensed at the action.

"What happened here?" she curiously inquired.

"El Gigante," he replied darkly.

"Spain wasn't very nice to you," she mused, and Leon looked over at her with interest. From what he could tell, Spain wasn't exactly nice to her either, after all before he had to kill Saddler she was hanging from a crane unconscious, obviously she had been hurt by the experience. The strange thing was, he had scars from all of his encounters and from what he could see, she had none. She always managed to remain unscathed, it wasn't fair and yet it just added to her mystery.

"Not really." After he said this, silence fell between the two of them and Leon took a moment to really look at her. In the past few years, she rarely stayed around long enough for them exchange more then a few words, and the amount of time they had been around each other now was certainly a record.

When she was done bandaging the wound, she put the kit back in the closet. She closed the door and then leaned against it, he didn't know what was wrong and he knew she wouldn't tell him. She looked deep in thought and tired like she didn't want to deal with this anymore. A moment later she was back to the Ada he remembered and she sauntered over towards the kitchen. Leon watched and she reached for the small wooden box on the counter. Ada was looked at it with a melancholy expression.

"What's in there?" He asked, and she jumped slightly as thought she had forgotten he was there for a moment.

"My past," she said with a sigh. She then grabbed the box and headed towards the bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, Leon let out a sigh knowing that Ada was always a mystery and he felt like the more he was around her, the less he was able to figure her out.

* * *

Claire thought it would probably be best to try and avoid Wesker for a little while. She didn't want to face him right now because even after their brief encounter upstairs, seeing him quickly brought to mind the incident in the communications room. She wasn't sure how long she had been avoiding him but Sherry had gone to bed for the night so she could guess it had been a couple of hours. Wesker had gone back into the lab and was working like usual, and while Claire would usually be in the lab with him, she was instead sitting in the living room.

She had already read the lab notes she was currently looking at but she didn't want to go into the lab and get something else because that would mean being around Wesker. Confronting him meant confronting the feeling she had spent hours pushing away, not to mention he would use this against her. She wasn't sure how long she was reading but eventually she heard Wesker say "Claire, I would like to have a word with you."

She grimaced, knowing there was no way she could pretend that she didn't hear him. Begrudgingly she got up off the couch and headed towards the lab. She stood in the doorway as he typed a few more notes on the computer before turning to face her.

"What is it?" She asked trying desperately to not sound annoyed.

"I realize that what happened earlier today-"

"You mean when you kissed me?"

He clenched his teeth, obviously annoyed that she had interrupted him. However, he regained his composure and drawled "You don't need to sound so accusatory dear heart; you were more than capable of stopping me if you really wanted to."

"No, I couldn't have, I was caught off guard," she spat, watching as he got up from the chair to look at some samples on the table nearest to her. Yeah she had the strength to push him away but not doing so wasn't her way of saying she wanted him to kiss her. Still, the fact that she hadn't pushed him away was bothering her, and obviously Wesker was going to use this doubt to his advantage.

"Say what you will, but your actions do not match your words," he replied with an amused tone as he walked towards her.

She found herself taking a step back only to hit a wall, she glared and said "Trust me, I hate you and if you really want me to act on it, I can."

He laughed and leaned in closer to her. "Have you learned nothing from the gift you have received?" When he was this close, it was difficult to focus on what he was saying; the scent of his cologne overwhelmed her and she was brought back to the communication room and the feeling of his lips on her own. He took her silence as a sign of confusion, and as he spoke she could feel his breath on her ear. "The sooner you give in, the better things will be for you."

"I think I'll take my chances," she said, finding it difficult to form the right words and not at all liking how weak they sounded.

"Fight all you want, Claire, but you are merely postponing the inevitable," he smirked before moving away from her and turning back towards his work.

"Um, you're the one who kissed me!" She exclaimed, anger welling up inside of her as she walked towards him.

"I would like to clarify that I was merely trying to prove a point," he explained calmly.

"Prove a point?" Claire said incredulously looking at him like he was crazy.

"Yes. If you recall, you suggested that I was only capable of cruelty and I replied that you haven't the slighted idea of what I am capable of."

"And out of all of the possible ways you could do that, you chose to kiss me?" She said looking at him incredulously. He didn't honor her question with a response and instead turned his attention to his work.

She couldn't understand why he had chosen this course of action and his explanation didn't make much sense, and then it occurred to her. "You don't know…"

He stopped and looked over at her, not at all like the smug expression that had replaced her confused one a moment before.

"You have no idea why you kissed me!" She exclaimed in triumph.

"Were you not listening when I just explained my actions?" He spoke slowly, using a tone one would often use when talking to a dense person.

"And I'm saying that explanation is bull shit."

"Believe what will, but I have more important things to deal with than you."

She noticed his jaw was clenched and there was finality to his tone that suggested that he wasn't going to discuss the matter any further. He focused once again on his work and Claire decided that perhaps it was best to take his lack of a real reason as a win. Fine, she thought. If this was the kind of game he wanted to play she would just have to be ready for whatever would happen next

* * *

Leon didn't know how long Ada had been in the other room but he was able to get some investigating done. On the bookshelf there were some old STARS training manuals as well as some Umbrella rulebooks and from this information alone Leon could figure out just which one of Ada's bosses was the owner of this apartment. The STARS manual meant that it clearly belong to Albert Wesker.

Now that he was alone, he was able to think about what had just happened to him. Everyone would think he was dead and from what Ada had told him, it was Genzyme that wanted him that way. The information that Ark had given him was still in hidden in his desk which meant that it would fall right back into the hands of Genzyme. Maybe there was a way he could contact Chris and he could intercept the information before they got to it. Actually if Genzyme had targeted him, it was very likely that Chris and Jill were under attack as well. He would have to try and get a hold of them to let them know what was going on…even though he wasn't entirely sure what that was.

He decided he needed to figure out a way to call Chris and Jill but he couldn't seem to find a phone anywhere in the apartment. He headed towards the door to the bedroom when it opened to reveal Ada who looked a bit surprised that he was there.

"Sorry handsome, but you just missed your chance," she purred.

"Just my luck," he said reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. "Ada do you have a phone I could use?"

"Maybe."

"Ada," he said firmly.

"You're supposed to be dead Leon, that means no phone calls," she flatly replied, putting a hand on his chest and pushing past him.

"Genzyme is after me, that means they have probably targeted Chris and Jill and I have to warn them," he said with a sense of urgency.

"They're not part of my objective," she said, opening the cabinets once again and pulling out some kind of canned food.

"But for some reason I am?"

"No, you were a mistake," she muttered quickly, regretting it the moment she had. Even thought she had spoken the truth she knew what she had said hurt him.

He quickly hid the fact that the statement had gotten to him by not looking at her in the eye and saying, "Well, I know we're outside of Raccoon City so I can find my way back to D.C. pretty easily. I'll just warn them myself."

She watched as he headed towards the door, and she knew she had to stop him. Alex would know he wasn't actually dead and there would be some people looking for him. After all the trouble she had gone through to make sure he was alive, she couldn't let him be killed by Alex.

"Leon," she called after him hoping he would stop but he continued out the door and into the garage like he hadn't heard her. She let out a sigh of frustration before heading after him, hoping he would not have gone too far. She headed out into the garage and noticed that the garage door had not opened yet, but when she looked around, she couldn't see him.

"Not exactly fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?" a voice behind her said. In her hast to find him, she hadn't seen him standing to her left mostly, obscured by a workbench.

"I thought you were leaving?"

"I can't, I don't have the access code for the door," he nodded over towards the keypad.

"Leon-"

He held up hand to stop her. "I get it; this wasn't exactly part of your plan. But I'm here now and from what it sounds like, Genzyme needs to be taken down and I can't do that by myself. If we want to get through this, you're going to have to work with me here."

"Genzyme's not the threat, Alexandra Wesker, the owner, is the one that needs to be taken down." "Her last name is Wesker? I didn't realize screwing over the world was a family business."

"They're not actually related. But getting to Alex isn't going to be easy."

"It never is."

* * *

The next few days were rather tense for Claire and Wesker, although they went about their daily lives they argued more than ever. Claire tired to spend less time around him but Sherry seemed suspicious of her when she did, so in order to make things appear normal she would still read in the lab like usual. Claire grabbed a set of lab notes entered the lab to find Wesker working on the computer like usual with Sherry also in the lab doing some work. Although Wesker didn't even glance in her direction, Sherry looked up from the test tube she was examining and said "Good morning Claire."

"Good morning, Sherry," Claire said, settling down on the lab table she usually laid on. She still hadn't gotten used to being so aware of what time in the day it was but because Sherry was on a normal schedule time was suddenly important.

Wesker, who had been inputting some data into the computer finally glanced in her direction before stating, "You changed the soap you use."

"Yeah, is that a problem?" She said, not really sure how to respond to the statement.

"Merely an observation. Although scent of this one is an improvement to its predecessor."

"I wasn't doing it for you," she glared over at him. She heard Sherry let out a sigh of annoyance. Since the kiss Claire realized that she and Wesker had even less patience for one another and their constant bickering seemed to be getting on Sherry's nerves.

"Did I ever imply that you were?" he said with an amused smirk. She hated that smirk, because it meant he was toying with her.

"No. But with your ego, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify," she snapped.

His eyes flashed behind his shades and he clenched his jaw for a moment before calmly saying, "With the amount of money, power, and strength I have, my ego is warranted, Miss Redfield."

Claire was about to reply when Sherry chimed in "You know I'm actually trying to get some work done and it's very difficult with your constant arguing."

"Well…" Wesker stated to say looking over at Claire who stubbornly replied "I'm not leaving."

"It's my lab, dear heart."

"That's not fair, the whole house is yours!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

Before Wesker could reply however, a bell chimed from the computer screen and everyone looked over at the screen with interest.

"Was that a doorbell?" Claire asked in disbelief. Wesker didn't reply but instead opened up a screen on the computer to reveal a video feed from the front gate. A nervous looking man in his mid twenties stood at the front gate. Wesker spoke into a microphone near the computer, "Were the trespasser will be prosecuted signs in any way confusing to you?"

"I need to talk to Sherry, I know she said not to come here but this is an emergency," Said the young man running a hand through his rather messy mop of hair as he spoke to into the intercom box. He appeared to be holding some kind of metal brief case with a biohazard label on it.

"Friend of yours?" Wesker drawled, looking over at Sherry.

"Yeah, that's Gavin. He's my research partner," Sherry explained. She looked concerned about his presence here.

Claire too now stood over by the computer to get a look at the young man. He was glancing around the courtyard nervously, his appearance was sloppy, and his dark brown hair was unkempt.

"It's two in the morning, what is he doing here?" Wesker asked, sounding annoyed that his work had been interrupted and that Sherry had told someone where this house was.

"He would only come here without calling if something went horribly wrong with the research. But last I had checked everything was going fine," said Sherry, her brown knitted in confusion walking towards the computer and hitting a button to open the gate.

Wesker raised a questioning eyebrow at the action but did not stop her. A moment later there was a knock at the door and Sherry walked out of the lab to open it and let Gavin in. A minute later she headed back to the lab with Gavin following quickly behind her.

Gavin did not even say hello but quickly blurted out. "Someone broke into the lab."

Sherry watched as he put the brief care down on one of the lab tables. "What! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I got most of the samples before they could, but I think they may have seen me."

"Meaning you led them here," Wesker drawled irately. Although this tone was calm Claire noticed his posture had changed from relaxed to tense.

"Gavin, this is my Uncle Albert and that is Claire his…friend," Sherry said, hesitantly not really sure how to describe Claire. Claire frowned at Sherry's description of her perhaps she was reading too much into it but the hesitation which implied that her and Wesker had relations that were perhaps _very_ friendly. She looked over at Gavin and noticed that he looked like a nervous wreck as he held out a hand to greet Wesker.

"Yes, Sherry has mentioned you. It's nice to finally meet you…uh Sir," he stuttered.

Claire watched as Wesker glanced over at Gavin like he could care less about his presence here. However Claire say past the bluff, Wesker was tensed and ready to attack should he need to. His standoffish approach towards Gavin was a way to intimidate the boy and make him feel inferior.

It worked, after a moment when Wesker still hadn't shook his hand, Gavin lower his and looked a bit discouraged before turning to Claire and nodded, saying "Nice to meet you." She felt sorry for the kid because he was just trying to be polite and Wesker was well being rather rude.

"Nice to meet you too," she said with an apologetic smile. She knew Wesker could be intimidating and in the context that Gavin was meeting him in the stakes were even higher. She always felt sorry for any boyfriends she brought home when Chris would interrogate them. She imagined Wesker would be ten times worse, because thought Chris would threaten to hurt potential boyfriends if they ever hurt her but Wesker would probably actually kill Sherry's boyfriend or worse use him as a test subject.

"Gavin, did you get a look at who broke in?" Sherry asked with a sense of urgency.

"They looked like they were professional and wearing gas masks," Gavin hastily replied.

Wesker stopped typing on the computer it seemed Gavin's statement had caught his attention. "What kind of samples were you working with?"

"Just a sample from Greenland, it's harmless," Gavin said, he didn't seem to think the sample was very important or dangerous.

Sherry winced and clarified, "It's mostly harmless. The molecular structure is similar to the T-virus but it hasn't reacted to anything in the same manner."

"I thought you said you weren't working with anything dangerous. Sherry, you shouldn't be messing with something like the T-virus," Claire interjected. She and Sherry had talked a lot about her research but she had never mentioned that the virus looked like T.

"And who provided this virus?" Wesker asked, reaching for the brief-case that Gavin had set on one of the lab tables. No one made a move to stop him but Gavin and Sherry eyed him with caution.

"The college got a huge donation from some company called Genzyme. I'd imagine they had something to do with it," Sherry answered. As Sherry said this, she realized just how suspicious all of this seemed. She had been so focused on getting her dissertation done that she hadn't even thought about the implications. "Uncle Wesker, what do you know about Genzyme?"

"I know they are not someone you should be associating yourself with."

"We're going to have to report this break in to the BSAA. They will need to file that a new virus has changed hands," Gavin stated.

"No, the less people involved in this the better. Claire and I will go to the lab and get rid of any evidence of the break-in. Then we will take Sherry to one of my safe-houses where she will remain until I sort this out." Wesker had a feeling they weren't really after Sherry's research, they were probably after Sherry. He didn't like the fact that Genzyme was trying to get to Sherry. He knew they had been targeting members of the Agency; in fact he was almost certain they had killed Arthur. The concerning thing was that Wesker thought he had left the Agency quick enough to avoid being a target but if someone like Genzyme was after Sherry it was most likely a way to get to him. While most people might consider this to be a coincidence Wesker had learned over the years that this was rarely the case.

"But what about our research?" Sherry asked. Wesker's eyes flashed behind his glasses and this did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. Sherry flinched slightly, she knew that meant Wesker was angry which was never a good thing; Gavin took a step back before giving Sherry and questioning look. "How did he do that?" he whispered.

"You're research can wait," Wesker replied and Sherry knew from his tone there was no arguing that matter. He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a brief-case and set it on the table. Claire didn't really know why Sherry's statement had caused Wesker to be so angry, but he was moving about the room with a sense of urgency that made Claire realize that Genzyme was something to be concerned about.

"What exactly did you say your Uncle did for a living?" Gavin asked Sherry watching as Wesker pulled out a handgun from the briefcase before giving it to Claire before taking one for himself.

"I didn't," Sherry replied.

Claire looked at the gun in her hand and whispered to Wesker, "Why do we need guns?"

"If we run into trouble would you rather they think we're people with guns or BOW's."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sherry asked, wanting to be useful rather than just sit here.

"Your lab is a secure facility; it would be easier to get in if you gave us your keycards and told us of any passwords for the computers." Wesker explained as he started to grab some vials of serum and throw them into the brief case as well. He took one and handed it to Claire and ordered "Do not lose this."

"Okay…" She said hesitantly trying to figure out a place to put the serum.

"The two of you are to remain here, do not leave the house, do not answer the door for anyone, we will be back in a few hours." Wesker's tone suggested that these orders were to be obeyed and not argued with. Sherry didn't protest and she and Gavin just stood there watching as Wesker gather a few more weapons from around the lab before telling Claire to follow him into the garage.

The argument they had been in the middle of earlier was quickly forgotten with the news that Gavin had told them. Although Claire did not know much about Genzyme, she knew that Wesker had been looking into them. From what she could tell they had been doing some work with BOW's and seemed to be pretty well connected.

As they got into the car she noticed that Wesker was tense and his jaw was clenched. Claire could tell he was angry beyond belief right now, and she wondered if Genzyme realized what they were up against.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" she asked hesitantly, he was obviously not in the best mood and she didn't want to set him off. He nearly broke the gear shift as he put the car into reverse and speed out of the garage.

"We're checking for any leftover data and then we are blowing up their lab."

"How dangerous is Genzyme?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances," he replied as he gripped the wheel tightly keeping his eyes trained on the road. Claire knew Sherry went to Harvard and that they had the best virology program in the country, but she wasn't sure how far away Harvard was from Wesker's house. She was a little surprised at how quickly Wesker reacted when he found out that Genzyme may have been after Sherry.

Wesker was half expecting Claire to continue to question him but she remained silent during most of the drive. In truth he was on autopilot barely paying attention to as he drove, seeing as it wasn't the first time he had to destroy evidence in a lab it didn't require all of his focus. Still Genzyme's involvement at Sherry's school was something that angered him beyond belief. He had been keeping an eye on Genzyme's activity but he hadn't really considered them a threat until now.

The drive went by relatively quickly, mostly because he had been speeding and thankful hadn't caught the attention of any highway patrol men. As they pulled up to the lab complex they got out of the car and Wesker opened the trunk. He and Claire left the vehicle and walked over towards the trunk.

"Has that been in here the whole time?" Claire asked in shock looked at the duffle bag full of C4 that Wesker pulled out of his trunk.

"I've learned it's best to be prepared for any situation," he said, taking the duffle and heading towards the building. The lab complete looked out of place on the old campus, while most the building were stone and built a very long time ago this complex was new. It had large windows and a very metallic appearance; it looked like something out a science fiction novel.

"Okay, but what if we got in a car accident?" She took long strides to catch up with him.

"Well, it would have been painful but ultimately we would have been fine."

"I would like to avoid being blown up in my lifetime if that's alright with you," Claire said rolling her eyes.

"It's really not all that bad," He stated in a bored tone.

"When were you blown up?"

"Ask your brother, he fired the rocket," he stoically replied as they headed towards the front of the building. She noticed that Wesker entered a combination into the keypad on the door and Claire assumed he got it from Sherry.

The lab was a mess, papers were scattered everywhere and cabinets and drawers were thrown open. Wesker immediately headed towards one of the computers, glass from broken test-tubes under his feet. Claire also headed to one of the computers and stated to look up data.

"What are we looking for?" She asked.

"Can you get past the security?" Wesker drawled as he started to download some files.

"Please, I've broken into the Umbrella Base in Paris…" she started to say before he interrupted her.

"Yes, and if I recall, you got caught."

"It worked out in the end. I escaped Rockford Island, and found my brother like I wanted to," Claire said with a shrug. She was more focused on downloading the data than letting Wesker's comment get to her.

"Only because I attacked the island."

"Are you suggesting that you helped me escape?" she said with a wry smile.

"You wouldn't have been able to escape if I didn't let you live."

Claire was about to reply when she heard someone approaching down the hallway. Wesker didn't seem to notice though, because he was reading some data on the virus Sherry was working with. It seemed as though the virus was closely related to the T-virus, and Wesker was almost certain that this same did not come from Greenland. The fact that Genzyme had acquired a virus like this was troubling. Genzyme had certainly caught his attention; just as he was thinking this, a shot rang out.

He looked over at Claire who had a shocked expression on her face as she pointed her gun at a man crumpled on the floor in pain. Wesker approached the man who was gripping his leg and kicked his sub-machine gun out of his reach. Judging by the uniform, he was obviously a hired gun. Wesker pinned him to the ground with his foot and looking down at the blood pooling under the wound. He appeared to be writhing on the ground in pain.

"Nice shot, dear heart." Wesker said glancing in her direction for a moment. Yes, he would have been fine if that man hand managed to attack them but the fact that he didn't have to made him realize that perhaps there were some benefits to having someone to watch your back. From the looks of things, her bullet hit a blood vessel which meant that time was short before this man bleed out. "From the looks of things you don't have a long time to live, so I suggest you tell me who you work for."

"I'm not even a solider-" the man said with difficultly. "I'm just a scientist…I tried to code the RNA, I tried…" he said before writhing in pain once again. "I don't want to die…I don't want to become one of those things…"

Wesker took his foot off the man and said "I think we have overstayed our welcome." He cursed himself for being so careless and note noticing the signs quicker, this man was mutating, and in a matter of minutes he would become a BOW. This was obviously meant to be a trap and he had blindly walked right into it. Whoever set this up knew this was exactly how he would handle this sort of situation and judging by how quickly the man was mutating whoever dose him probably did so right before he stumbled into the lab and Claire shot him.

Claire wasn't really listening and was just fixated on the man she just shot. He was going to die. She acted so quickly she hadn't even realized what she was doing. She had shot people before, even killed things but till now she had only ever killed zombies, never a human being. She couldn't move, and couldn't take her eyes off the man writhing in pain. Wesker's voice jarred her from her thoughts. "We need to go before he mutates."

He had a strong grip on her wrist as he pulled her past the man. He set the C4 charges down on the lab floor right next to the man. The explosion would kill him and that way they would not have to deal with him. Wesker had half a mind to take a sample from him but he didn't want to risk the time it might take. They headed down the corridor and he was practically dragging Claire who seemed to keep looking behind her at the lab.

Once at the car Wesker detonated the bomb, effectively blowing up the building. The explosion would certainly draw attention but judging by its size, there would be little to no evidence left. As they drove away Claire said "What if there were other people in the building?"

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made."

"It isn't right," She mumbled not really sure how to handle this concept. "That man said he was a scientist but he was dressed like a mercenary"

"Yes, judging from what he was saying as he was dying, someone must have injected him with some sort of virus. He was obviously sent to get rid of us. Although I was intrigued to see what he would turn into, it was best we didn't waste time."

"He wasn't some god-damn science experiment, Wesker," she seethed.

"To whoever he was working for that, was what he became. You did the right thing in shooting him; it was a matter of us versus them."

"I killed him. I've never killed anyone who was alive before."

"If he was infected, he was probably dead before your bullet hit him. It merely served as catalysis for the virus; your record has not been tarnished."

"Yeah…" said Claire looking over at him for a moment, with a small smile. It seemed as though he was actually trying to make her feel better, and even thought he probably had ulterior motives for it, the gesture was still nice. When he did something vaguely nice it made it harder and harder to hate him.

**It would be awesome if you reviewed. I'm sorry it this chapter seemed a bit slowish in parts. I have a lot of plot building to do as we are probably reaching the halfway point in the story. Hope you liked this chapter. Sorry if there are typos.**


	17. Surrender

**Wow, sorry this chapter has taken so long to write. Summer is always a difficult time for me to focus on stuff and after getting back from my vacation I had ideas but absolutely no motivation to put pen to paper, or in this case fingers to keyboard. This chapter is important and I didn't want to write it if I wasn't in the mood. **

**That being said, when I was in the writing mood I wanted to get this chapter out to you guys as soon as possible so it had only been read over my by wonderful beta reader once. She's been busy working this summer so it took her awhile to get through this but at least she had a more reasonable excuse to not write than I did. Well enough blabbering from my end, here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

Wesker knew that attack at the lab was not a coincidence. Someone had wanted to lure him there and someone had planned that attack. Right now there was no way to get to whoever was responsible for the actual planning of the attack but he knew where he could find the messenger.

That boy Sherry had brought with her to the lab had been the one to tell the news and Wesker highly doubted that the boy was completely ignorant of what they would find at the lab. Wesker pondered the best way to get information from Sherry's lab partner the whole drive home; he had come up with a few solutions all of which seemed far too violent to gain the approval of Claire. Not that needed her approval in the slightest; he could do whatever he wanted, he had merely learned that she was easier to deal with when they were on the same page.

The way she had acted in the lab today proved that his efforts had not been wasted for she was a valuable asset. When they pulled into the garage he put the car in park and said, "I'm going to have to question the boy."

"His name's Gavin, and I don't think he knows anything. When he came to the lab he was scared and confused. I've seen enough people in that state to know when it's real."

"Perhaps," he drawled. Although he took her words into account it was always better to be safe than sorry. They exited the garage and walked into the main lab where they found Sherry and Gavin sitting by one of the computers looking at some data.

"Uncle Albert, is everything alright?" Sherry asked with concern. Wesker ignored her question and instead crossed the room so that he was in front of Gavin. He swiftly grabbed the boy by the collar before slamming him against one of the cabinets. Gavin looked scared for his life and tried in vain to free himself from Wesker's grasp.

"What the hell?" Sherry shouted in anger and looking at Wesker in confusion and then over at Claire for help, who merely stood there watching the scene unfold.

"We were got to the lab we were ambushed Sherry. It was a trap," Claire explained.

"And you think I had something to do with it? Please, listen I didn't," Gavin quickly said looking over at Claire rather than Wesker. He then started to gasp for air as Wesker grabbed his neck and pinned him to the cabinet.

"Yes, because labs that are supposed to be empty usually have an armed welcome party in them." Wesker growled as Gavin tried to pry Wesker's hand away from his neck, gasping for air.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Sherry shouted trying to pull Wesker.

"Sherry, I suggest you stay out of this," Wesker calmly replied, still focused on Gavin.

"No. I trust him, Gavin wouldn't hurt a fly," Sherry shouted in an attempt to get Wesker to understand. However when it was clear he wasn't going to listen she pulled what looked like some sort of syringe full of a dark blue liquid that looked unfamiliar to Claire. She quickly approached Wesker and held the needle near his shoulder. She spoke in a deadly calm voice that could almost rival one of Wesker's threats, "Now put him down."

Wesker's expression remained blank but he began to release his hold on Gavin. He looked over at Sherry and snidely quipped, "I always knew you would betray me on day, I just didn't realize it would be over something as trivial as this."

Sherry did not wavier in her resolve and Claire assumed that the only thing that was keeping Wesker from harming Sherry was his affection for her. Claire couldn't help but wonder how long that would keep Sherry safe. Wesker however didn't have any intent to harm her. He knew she was being foolish. He had half a mind to insist that she come to a safe house and leave the boy behind. Yet it seemed as though Sherry had other plans, and if she believed that staying with her partner was the best course of action so be it. Had he not offered her enough kindness over the years and if she was so quick to reject his help why continue to extend it.

Wesker stepped away from Sherry and Gavin distancing himself from whatever Sherry had in that syringe. "I do believe you have over stayed your welcome, Sherry. It would be wise of you to leave."

Sherry checked on Gavin for a moment, there were bruises quickly forming on his neck but other than that he would be fine. Although he would never admit it, Sherry could tell that her actions had hurt her Uncle. She glanced over at him and said softly, "I never wanted to turn against you…" She noticed his eyes flash behind his glasses.

"People are not measured by their intentions they are measured by their actions." He darkly replied.

Sherry opened her mouth to speak but Gavin up a hand on her shoulder. He was eyeing Wesker wearily as though he expected him to attack them at any moment. "I think we should just go, Sherry," He whispered.

"I know…" She said with a sigh, and she hastily packed up some research papers and grabbed the brief case that was sitting on the counter. She started to storm out of the lab with Gavin beside her but she paused in the doorway and looked back for just a moment before saying, "I hope you realize that this is a reason you are always alone."

Naturally the comment didn't seem to have any effect on Wesker whatsoever, but Claire could understand why Sherry felt the need to say it. After all, she imagined there were very few people in the world who could deal with Wesker for as long as Sherry had. After her comment, Sherry did not look back again, she and Gavin would be alone out there.

Once they had gone Wesker started to look at the new data they had acquired from Sherry's lab. He seemed to be acting as though nothing had happened.

"You realize you're throwing them to the wolves, right?" Claire said still standing in the same spot she had been in since they returned back to the lab. Her arms were crossed as she studied him wondering how he could be so heartless.

"I was not about to argue her decision with her any further."

"What decision? You were hurting someone she cared about! She even admitted that she didn't want to have to go against her but you left her no choice." Although to most people what Sherry had done would not be considered a betrayal, to someone like Wesker who generally assumed that everyone was out to get him, the fact that Sherry had protected someone who stood in his way would be viewed as beginning against him.

"No choice?" he said with a bitter laugh. "There is always a choice; it just might not be one you are willing to make."

"It's not really much of a choice then is it?" She snapped. She knew she probably shouldn't be arguing with him right now but she couldn't help it.

He slammed his fist down on the desk causing the computer screen to go black and the wooden surface to splinter. His eyes flashed behind his shades as he advanced towards her. She didn't back down and realized that it was because she didn't think he was going to actually hurt her. Although he would never admit it, she believed that he was feeling some remorse over throwing Sherry out like that and having her tell him so was making him realize it more. He was the kind of person who saw such an attachment to a person as a weakness.

He stood directing in front of her, and he was still tense from the rage he was feeling but he wasn't acting on it in his usual manner. Instead he was just studying her, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why are you even still here?" He asked in an almost accusatory manner.

The question caught her off guard for a moment because she wasn't entirely sure if she was supposed to answer it. Judging but the fact that he looked even more annoyed when she didn't say anything she finally settled on an answer and said "You needed me for that virus."

"I don't _need_ anyone," he seethed before turning way from her and heading over the computer. He spoke in a much calmer tone now, "I have obtained a blood sample for research and it is clear that your brother has stopped looking for you so there is really no reason for you to be here anymore."

Claire stood rooted to the spot not entirely sure she was believed what she was hearing. It seemed as though Wesker was suggesting she could just leave. However it seemed strange that after going through all that trouble to make sure she didn't go anywhere he was just going to let her walk out the front door. Something didn't seem right about this, it didn't make any sense, there had to be a catch. "You expect me to actually believe that you're just letting me go?"

"It has become quite clear that you have become more trouble than you are worth and I have work to do…" He faltered a bit in his speech and Claire noticed his hands were shaking and he was wincing in pain as he reached for one of the cabinets where his kept his serum. Obviously in all the chaos he had missed a dose and a seizure would be starting soon if he didn't take the serum. "I_ cannot_ afford distractions," he ground out as he struggled with the syringe.

Despite her better judgment she moved forward to help him but this only made him angry. "Don't," he snarled, stepping away from her. "Either you can leave voluntarily or you are going in one of the capsules in the back room. Is that an easy enough choice for you?"

Being locked in that back room was not something Claire ever wanted to experience and yet she was unable to move from where she stood. She watched as he injected himself with the stabilizing serum and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

He looked over at her for a moment, wondering why she wasn't leaving and for a fleeting moment he realized he didn't actually want her to. He quickly buried this brief feeling of attachment and thought of what he was going to do with her now. He rarely made empty threats and the silence between them was making this one glaringly obvious.

"I don't want to go into the back room," Claire said, her voice shaking slightly. Although she didn't say it out loud there was a second meaning to that statement, she also didn't want to leave. She never imagined she would actually want to stay with someone like Wesker, and yet here she stood.

"I know. Not to mention it would be a waste of a capsule. Being a Redfield I'm sure you would manage to get out somehow." He ran his fingers through his hair and he did not look at her when he spoke. Instead he was focused on the collection of serum in the cabinet. At the rate he was using it he would need to make more soon.

He couldn't understand why he hadn't thought of a better way to stabilize himself. He pulled up the data on his virus on the computer and then he remembered why. The virus in his system was extremely unstable, in fact it was a miracle he was in as much control as he was.

Over the years he had been injected with so many different viruses it was becoming more and more difficult to isolate all of the components. It was almost to the point he couldn't even tell which virus was mutating and which one was remaining stable. Although he was a genius when it came to viruses even he wasn't sure he would be able to fix this. _Will would have known what to do._ He thought for a moment before shaking his head. Knowing that a friend who died years ago could help him wasn't going to solve anything. In fact the only person who might have come close was Sherry, who held her father's similar brilliance when it came to viruses.

He had been so focused on the issues with his virus he had nearly forgotten about Claire, who was still standing next to him leaning against the counter. He glance over at her for a moment before looking back over at the computer screen, he was faced with two problems that he had no idea how to solve. At least the virus was a more familiar problem, Claire was something entirely different.

She appeared to be staring at him and trying to figure out what he was thinking. She was probably wondering if he was actually going to lock her away for not, since he had technically never really answered that.

"The virus heighten you're senses dear heart, but it doesn't give you the ability to read minds," he snidely remarked, maybe if he could anger her she would just go away and he would deal with this later.

"I know that. I'm just trying to figure out what's going to happen to me now!" She realized she was starting to shout as anger welled up inside of her. Yes, she did not want to be locked away in the capsule and yelling at him would certainly make him angry and increase those chances but in all honesty she was tired of being left hanging. "You train me cause you think I might be useful and for some crazy reason I've actually helped you on missions. Then you tell me I'm more trouble then I'm worth. I think you've threaten to lock me away for good at least two times now, and you haven't. So can you please just make your god damn mind already?"

His eyes flashed behind his sunglasses, as he took a step closer to her. It was clear that what she had just said angered him, but she stood her ground, so now they were toe to toe as he towered over her. She was almost certain he was going to put her in one of the capsules now. As he studied her for a moment his anger seemed to subside a bit. He spoke in a quizzical manner as he took off his sunglasses and began to clean them on his shirt, "Usually, I'm the kind of man who knows exactly what he wants, and will stop at nothing to get it."

"So…you're saying you don't know what you want then?" She said slowly sounding equally as confused. Wesker was a very guarded person and his statements often need to be deciphered in order to actually understand his meaning. What frightened Claire about the statement was that she didn't really know what she wanted either.

"And if there is one thing I know about you is that you possess a similar tenacity." He said holding up his glasses to check for any smudges before putting them back on his face. He held his arms out in a gesture similar to a shrug and drawled "So as you can see, we are at an impasse."

Claire looked at the man in front of her. Albert Wesker, was a man she was supposed to hate. The problem was she didn't hate him, well most of the time. She knew what she should do is just leave, find her brother and figure out a way to end Wesker for good this time. After all, the world didn't need a man like Wesker. But then on the other hand, Wesker had been almost kind to her at times; he had helped her learn to control her powers. She had seen the way he could be around Sherry and it was those small glimpses of humanity in him that made her unable to leave. See the real problem was that the Wesker she knew was different than the one her brother had been betrayed by.

One thing was for sure, Wesker was right, they were at an impasse. Yes, they could argue and fight forever, if they put their minds to it, but Claire knew that would never work. She thought back to something that Wesker had said to her about the virus in her system. Instead of trying to fight off the virus her immune system just gave in and because of that she was more powerful than she had ever been before. More importantly she had seen what happened to people who didn't merge well with the virus, and she was thankful that she was still herself. Perhaps it was time she stopped fighting. She thought back to all the moments in which he had been close to her like he was now, all those times she realized she wasn't sure if she wanted to kill him or kiss him; perhaps it was time to do the latter.

They had been standing there staring at one another for quite some time now and Wesker was just about to turn away and do something more productive with his time when Claire spoke, "I think I'm done fighting."

He wasn't entirely sure what she meant but that and was about to inquire further when she closed the distance between them. He felt her lips on his for the second time and much like the first time he wasn't really thinking clearly. His arms seemed to act on their own accord as they wrapped around her waist roughly pulling her closer to him. He loosed his grip slightly because his grip would usually hurt someone, but then he remembered that Claire wasn't like other people, she had Uroboros and he wouldn't have to show any restraint for her.

Claire was beginning to wonder if perhaps this was a mistake. She was pressed so close to him she could feel every muscle in his body as their lips continued to battle for control. She reached a hand up and ran her fingers through his hair. Last time, he had pushed her away when this happened, and for a fleeting moment she almost wanted him to. She was running out of breath and the sensible side of her was telling her that she probably shouldn't be kissing her brother's worst enemy. However this sensible notion was quickly forgotten as his lips left hers and travelled along her jaw line to her neck. If she were anyone else, what he was doing would have left a mark but with her healing it wouldn't happen.

If he were anyone else he wouldn't have heard her quietly mumble "oh god" and he couldn't help but smirk at the notion, it may not have been his name but it was certainly close. He realized she must have noticed the smirk because her eyes flashed a she glared at him for a moment. She may have said she was done fighting but he knew that didn't mean she was going to give in easily; it was in her nature to be a bit of a nuisance. However as he watched the red-gold eyes dissolve into blue he was confident that before this was over he was have her screaming his name.

* * *

Ada knew that Leon was going to need answers. If they were going to work together she would have to tell him everything she knew about Alex and Genzyme. It was only fair, after all. It was just she had no idea where to begin, how does one sum up something that has consumed the better part of her life, well technically her entire life as Ada Wong. She could remember the day everything changed so clearly as though it were yesterday.

_It was late and her father had come bursting into the room, he often came home late but now was even later that usual and he looked frightened. He was an Umbrella scientist, as was her mother and they had been working in Japan for as long as Ada could remember. She had been eight years old at the time. She should have seen this coming, her parents were arguing constantly and her father always seemed nervous about something. She remembered that night he shook her awake and told her that they had to leave. _

"_Bad people have taken mommy and we have to get away from them before they find us," her father explained. She was still groggy from sleep but she noticed her father held a suitcase in his hand. There were clothes sticking out of the sides of the suitcase, and his eyes darted around the room as he shook her awake. _

"_Where are we going?"She asked, rubbing her eyes. The fear she should be feeling at what her father had just said hadn't reached her yet. _

"_Far away, Ko. We can never come back to Tokyo and we can tell no one where we are going," He said urgently and he started to pull her out of bed._

"_But…I have school tomorrow, what will my friends think?"_

"_You have to forget about your friends Ko, we are starting a new life, it's the only way we can catch the bad people. From now on, your name is Ada Wong…"He was holding her hand and practically dragging her across the room because of his haste and long strides. _

"_Why? I like my name, now,"she inquired as she struggled to keep up. She was glancing around her room and reached out to grab an object off the shelf. She couldn't leave without taking something with her. She was confused as to what was going on but mostly she was scared. She had never seen her dad look so nervous before. _

"_No! If they find you, they will hurt you. They cannot find you if you don't exist. If anyone asks you who you are your name is Ada Wong, do you understand?" he hastily whispered shaking her shoulders almost violently in an effort to make him look at her. _

"_My name is Ada Wong." She meekly replied._

It would be years before she would learn the whole story, why they had left Tokyo, why her mother had been killed by Umbrella, why her father spend the later years of his life trying to take down Umbrella. The story was complicated to say the least, but it was very much a part of her life. How often she wishes she could go back to her life before she was Ada Wong, things had been so simple back then…

"Ada…" said a voice jarring her from her thoughts. She glanced over at Leon who said "You looked like you were miles away."

They had been pouring over some maps of Genzyme facilities trying to figure out the best way to infiltrate them and although she had been looking at the maps, she hadn't been paying attention. "Our best bet would be to head for the one in San Jose." She explained ignoring his concern.

"Alright," He said nodding and grabbing the plans for the building. "Do you think she will be there?"

"Alex? Probably not. She never stays in one place for very long."

"I still don't understand why I haven't heard of her before. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Umbrella."

"Alex is Umbrella's best kept secret and she's also probably the most deadly employee they ever had. From the data I've collected over the years I know she used to be Spencer's favorite but they had a falling out and she was rumored to be dead. It wasn't until a few years ago after the incident with Tricell in Africa that anyone even heard her name again. She's been hiding out for quite some time but it's clear she is planning something."

Leon was rubbing the back of his neck, something he did when he was nervous about something. "So why have you been collecting data on Alex for all these years? If you don't mind me asking."

"She's a menace that needs to be stopped," Ada darkly replied. Although it technically answered his question, Ada knew that was not the whole truth nor was it the answer he was looking for. Ada had grown used to living her life as a closed book and she wasn't keen on sharing any unnecessary information.

"So we will leave for San Jose tonight then and keep to the back roads," said Leon, looking over at the map. From his businesslike tone Ada could tell that he annoyed at her response or rather lack of response.

"Yeah, we're going to have to look for a different car first though. Mines a bit too flashy."

"It's a shame, the sports car suits you," he said with a teasing smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

"You wouldn't know what suits me," she said darkly turning her attention towards the map.

"Yeah well it's not from a lack of trying," he muttered angrily folding up the map they had just been looking at. She knew she was pushing him away and she knew they would eventually come a time when he was so sick of it he wouldn't chase after her anymore. While part of her knew this was for the better she couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt every time she did it.

Usually she could justify the guilt because she would help him with a mission or know she wouldn't seem in for a while but with him being around all the time since they were technically working together, the guilt was eating away at her. "She killed my parents," she bluntly replied watching as Leon packed up the intel.

He paused and looked over at her, even though her tone had be devoid of emotion he could see a glimpse of pain in her eyes, "Alex?" He asked.

"Yes. My mother first. My father spent the rest of his life hunting Alex down but he failed to kill her before Alex got to him."

Leon paused for a moment at a loss for words. He let out a bitter laugh, "All I can think of to say to that is I'm sorry for your loss. But I know that doesn't really help much."

"I just can't let my father's efforts be in vain," She replied, started to get that fair off expression on her face again.

"We won't let that happen," He assured her.

She quickly came back to reality and snapped, "This isn't your objective, Leon."

"This Alex Wesker woman tried to have me killed. I think that justifies my interest in wanting to see her caught." He said, raising his voice in anger just a little.

"Alright," said Ada, nodding in understanding. She didn't need to tell him she had no intention of letting Alex Wesker be brought into custody, when the time came that bitch was going to get what she deserved.

* * *

Chris received a phone call telling him to report to the BSAA headquarters early that morning. He didn't really know why they were calling him in but all honestly, the way his week had been going, he wouldn't be surprised if it was bad news. He looked over at the clock and realized it was close to four in the morning, meaning he had about an hour to get ready before heading to headquarters. He rolled out of bed and noticed that Jill was not there.

He and Jill still hadn't talked about the fact that she had lied about her diagnosis from the psychologist, and in fact, they hadn't really talked much at all and that was mostly because Chris was angry with her but he didn't want to have a fight right now. He got up and showered before heading into the kitchen to find Jill sitting there looking down at an empty mug in her hands. He noticed there was a pot of coffee in the coffee maker, and he grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and placed it on the counter.

He went over to the fridge and grabbed a carton of milk which flew out of his hand because it was basically empty and he grabbed it too quickly. Jill had a bad habit of leaving a whole container of something with very little in it in the kitchen. He let out a sigh of frustration before grabbing the carton off the ground and throwing it in the garbage.

"So you're just ignoring me now? Is that how this is going to be?" Jill said quietly. It was clear from the bags under her eyes she had not slept well last night.

"Jill, it's early and I have to go to work. I really don't have time to deal with this."

"And last night you said it was late and you didn't have time. Chris, I get that you're angry but we're going to have to talk about his sometime."

"My sister is being held captive right now by my worst enemy and one of my best friends was just killed in an assassination attempt, so forgive me if I don't really want to have a fight with my girlfriend right now."

"Well I'm not sure I want to be your girlfriend it you're just going to hate me. Look, I'm only bugging you about this because I know you feel betrayed that I didn't tell you what Dr. Laver said and I know how you deal with betrayal."

"Then why didn't you just tell me? That could have saved us a lot of trouble, Jill!" He said raising his voice. He really didn't want to argue with her right now, but it seemed like this was going to happen anyways.

"Because I just wanted things to go back to the way they were!" She snapped, her anger quickly subsiding when she saw his wounded expression.

"Oh…so then are you moving back into Claire's room then?" He seemed to think she meant back as in no longer together.

"No, sorry that's not what I meant. Chris, I love you. I always have, and I love that we are together. I know you're just worried about me, but we've been avoiding what happened in Africa and I don't want to be afraid of it anymore. I just want to move on and if I would have told you about what Dr. Laver said you would have treated me differently, and you would have blamed yourself for not protecting me," She said getting up from her chair and standing in front of him. She rested a hand on his cheek. "You can't protect me from everything, Chris."

"It just kills me to see someone I love hurting as much as you are, Jill. I mean, most days you're fine but sometimes when you remember something you just look so far away and I can't help but worry about you." He wrapped his arms around here and pulled her close to him.

She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat for a moment before saying, "No matter how far away I seem, once I'm here in your arms I always know I'm home." She then stepped away from him and said with a small smile, "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

He looked over at the clock and realized he should probably go. "Not if I leave right now." He was almost going to ask her if she was okay, when he remembered what she had just said a few moments ago. He could also tell by the small smile on her face that things between them were good again. As he kissed her goodbye he realized that things were more than good, if Jill was with him, Chris felt like he was ready to face anything.

As he headed out the door, he noticed a black sedan parked a little ways downs the street. Normally this would not be odd but in their neighborhood people rarely parked their cars on the street. As he walked past it he glanced at the windows and noticed they were heavily tinted, and he wondered if perhaps this had something to do with the FBI coming to his house the other day. For a moment he thought they might be watching him but he quickly shook the notion deciding not to be paranoid.

Once at work, his superior officer called him into his office and Chris had a feeling that whatever he wanted to talk about it wasn't going to be good news. Jacobs, had the same look on his face he wore when he had to tell the office that someone had died in the field.

"Redfield, you remember our agreement regarding your sister's…situation."

"Yeah, you were going to keep name out of the reports."

"I'm afraid I can't do that anymore," Jacobs gravely replied.

"What? Why not?"

"There was a break- in at some of the Harvard research labs. The particular lab that was broken into housed a sample of a new virus with components similar to the T-virus. Some of the security footage from the lab was recovered before it was destroyed; your sister was involved in the break-in."

"It was probably Wesker's idea, he just dragged her along to make her look guilty or something," said Chris trying to piece together an explanation for what he was hearing.

"No…" Jacobs started to say, giving Chris a sympathetic look before he was interrupted.

"What do you mean no?"

"Redfield, she shot and killed a scientist on her own accord!"

"Bullshit! Claire wouldn't kill someone without a good reason. Wesker must be controlling her or something. Let me see the tape."

"I don't have it anymore. The footage is property of Genzyme; they were the ones who funded the research in the lab."

"Genzyme? Aren't they that pharmaceutical company? Well that proves it then doesn't it? Obviously it's some kind of set up to make us think Claire-"

"Redfield, I know this is hard for you to hear, but it just doesn't add up. As convenient as it would be for Genzyme to be evil and somehow involved in all of this, we have strict regulations now to make sure things like Umbrella don't happen again. Genzyme has been working with the BSAA throughout its entire development."

"Yeah, Umbrella and the Raccoon City Police Department were pals but…"

Jacobs raised a hand to stop him from talking, still giving Chris a concerned look. "I think maybe you should take a vacation, Redfield. I imagine dealing with what happened to your girlfriend, and now having to hear more bad news about your sister must be difficult. Coming up with an elaborate conspiracy theory isn't going to make this go away. Genzyme is helping to make an anti-virus for Uroboros, thinking they are evil just makes you sound paranoid."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chris said with a shrug before leaving Jacobs office. Even though he had agreed with his superior in his office, he decided that he should still at least look into the possibility that Genzyme might not be what they say they are.

* * *

Alex was sitting in her office staring out the window. A moment ago she had received a phone call letting her know that the Harvard lab had been broke into. Unfortunately the plan didn't go as smoothly as she had hoped. The break in was supposed to release the mutated variant of the T-Virus into the atmosphere, causing widespread panic. Panic that would have quickly ended when Genzyme released the anti-virus. Genzyme would look like a hero while Sherry Birkin would have taken the fall, given her family history no one would believe that her research actually involved finding a way to make the virus harmless. However, this did not happen because of Sherry's lab partner, Gavin, who had managed to take the sample out of the lab.

Since then the two of them had disappeared off the grid, but no matter, with her resources Alex was confident she would find them soon enough. The lab incident was not a complete loss though, because it had caught Albert's attention.

One of Albert's greatest weaknesses was that he lacked the ability to adapt, once he decided on a plan he altered his course very littler regardless of what was happening around him. The lab break in would cause him to go after Genzyme, she was sure of it, which meant it was only a matter of time before he showed up on her doorstep.

Figuring out a way to kill him wasn't going to be easy, despite his constant failure he seemed to posses the ability to rise from the ashes. Albert Wesker never stayed dead for very long.

She was however, beginning to understand why Albert's plans often failed. Dealing with eliminating survivors of the Raccoon City Incident and Mansion Incident was proving to be more difficult than anticipated. She thought she had successfully taken out Leon S. Kennedy but when the body disappeared and Ada Wong went M.I.A., she was certain that he was still alive. Not to mention that she had receive a call earlier today from Dr. Laver, a Genzyme employee working for the BSAA, that Chris Redfield was growing suspicious of Genzyme, it was only a matter of time before him and his partner Jill Valentine would realize the truth about the company. It seemed as though all the old players were heading towards Genzyme, and while her original plan had been to divide and conquer eliminating each of them one by one, she knew sometimes it was best to adapt.

Perhaps it was time to see what would happen when all of these groups with different objectives met in the same place. Plus, it would be an excellent time to gather some testing data. Now the question became, which Genzyme facility would be the best one to lead them to? She thought with an evil grin.

* * *

Claire couldn't figure out exactly how she was feeling about what had just happened. A few months ago if anyone had told her that she would be sleeping with Albert Wesker she would have thought they were crazy, and yet here she was lying in his bed wearing nothing but a black silk sheet.

Wesker was no longer in bed and although he had successfully located some pants, he seemed to be having trouble finding any of his other garments. She sat up holding the sheet around her and watched as he picked up what looked like a t-shirt.

"I think that's mine."

"I don't think it's exactly wearable," he stated, holding it up to her and showing that it was clearing ripped in half.

"That was my favorite shirt," she said with a huff.

"You shouldn't have thrown my sunglasses down the stairs," he scolded before continuing to look for the rest of his clothes.

Claire just sat there in bed almost afraid to move. If she got up she was fully acknowledge what had just happened. If she thought Chris would disown her for kissing Wesker she couldn't even imagine what he would do if he found out she had slept with him. He'd probably be furious, but he would also feel even more betrayed, and it was the betrayal of his trust she couldn't handle.

"Wesker…" she said hesitantly, she had a feeling this was never going to work but she had to try.

"Yes?" he said pausing in his search and looking over at her.

"Do you think, maybe, we could just not mention this to Chris?"

Wesker smirked for a moment and it was clear he was imagining the pain such information would cause his worst enemy, but then he said something that surprised her. "As amusing as that would be, I suppose, I can find another way to torment your brother besides telling him I slept with his sister."

"Right, thanks," she said, trying to hide the feeling of surprise. Wesker had just agreed to not cause her brother pain from her actions. She was beginning to realize that her world seemed to be turned upside down at the moment.

He just nodded in response and an uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them. Yes, Claire had experiences the uncomfortable moments that followed a one-night stand before, but although this was similar, it was so much more complicated than that. Wesker left the room shortly after giving up finding his sunglasses and went to shower. Leaving her alone in the bedroom.

Now she was alone with her thoughts. She realized that she had already considered how Chris would feel about what had happened but she hadn't really thought how she felt about it. She felt a bit of regret about it, but that was more because of how Chris would react if he ever found out. She was actually kind of glad she had decided to "give in" because it seemed to have relieved a great deal of tension between Wesker and her. She decided that was more what this had been about, it wasn't that she loved him or anything romantic like that, it was something much more simple and primitive.

Yes, she would admit it, for some twisted reason she cared for Albert Wesker, but she certainly didn't love him. She won't consider them partners even though they were working together because their alliance was a shaky one. They didn't see eye to on almost anything and if it hadn't been for Uroboros she probably won't even be here at all. No, there alliance was built around that virus, and it would only work under the current conditions. When she came to this conclusion it was like a huge weight she wasn't even aware of was lifted from her shoulders.

When Wesker finished showering he went back into the bedroom and got dressed. Claire hadn't said anything to him since he had returned and she appeared to be deep in thought. He wasn't really sure why he had agreed not to tell her brother about this, but he realized it had to do with the fact that it would be harmful to her as well. Not that he particularly cared about her well-being, he just thought having her trust would be useful in the long run. That and perhaps after what had just happened he was feeling a bit generous.

He hadn't felt this relaxed in years, and it probably had something to do with the fact that he didn't have to restrain himself around her. When he had slept with women before he always had to worry about his strength hurting them, but Claire was like him, and he didn't have to try and be in control of himself. There was something surprisingly liberating about losing control even if it was only for a brief moment. Of course he never lost control completely, that was simple not in his nature.

"Are you planning on staying there all day?" He inquired, noticing she had barely moved from where she lay.

"No," she said with a sigh. "I just haven't the slightest idea were any of my clothes are and the shower is all the way over there."

He let out a chuckle, "Please don't tell me you're worried about your modesty."

"Well just because you've seen me naked once doesn't mean I'm just going to walk around naked all the time," she mumbled, wrapping the sheet around her like towel as she got up and started to head towards the shower.

"Yes, that would be rather impractical," he drawled as he headed towards the staircase. He paused for a moment and said "Claire?"

She stood in the bathroom doorway and waited for him to continue. "When you're done in there, come down to the lab I want to discuss Genzyme and there involvement with the lab incident with you."

She nodded and said "okay" before heading for the shower. Leave it to Wesker to get straight back to work after everything that had just happened. Not that she was at all surprised; after all, Wesker hadn't stopped working on Christmas what made her think he was going to stop now?

**I figured this was a good place to stop before moving on to some other things. Unlike Wesker, I can't work forever. However, I know I don't really need to remind you because you guys are awesome and usually do, but in case you forgot, feedback in always welcome. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my infrequent updates. **


	18. Alexandra Wesker

**I realize it has been a really long time since I have updated this story. Basically I got really busy with school as did my beta reader so between the two of us it has taken awhile to update this chapter. But here it is without further ado. **

Claire was expecting Wesker to be in the lab but instead he was in the communication room looking over some data. He was seated in the only chair in the room and didn't even look at her when she entered. Claire stood behind the chair and was just about to ask what he was looking at when he said, "Intriguing."

"What is?" She asked, looking over at the screen. There was a map of the U.S. with red dots on various locations and one of the dots was glowing brighter than all the rest.

"Someone activated my safe house outside of Raccoon City."

"Do you think it is…?" She started to say but broke off. She was going to mention Sherry but was hesitant to do so because she was unsure how he would react.

He seemed to understand what she meant though because he replied "No this was activated over a week ago." He pulled up what looked like security footage. The shot was of an apartment decorated in the same minimalist style as the house they were currently in. The image was broken up so it was in at least four different angles. There were two people standing in the kitchen talking with one another and Claire recognized them almost immediately.

"Leon," She said, surprised to see him with what looked like that woman Ada Wong.

"Well, Ms. Wong does have the code to that particular house, however she in not in my employment at the moment so I cannot definitively say what she is doing there or why Mr. Kennedy is in her company." He tone sounded slightly annoyed. Truth be told, he was wary about the fact that he was out of the loop. If Ms. Wong was staying in that safe house, she was evidently running from something and he had a feeling it had something to do with Genzyme. His suspicion was confirmed when he used the camera to zoom in to see what the pair was looking at in the kitchen. The paper appeared to be blueprints to what looked like a Genzyme lab facility. If Ada had decided to look into Genzyme even further than his original instructions he knew she must have found something worth looking into.

His train of thought was quickly derailed however when Claire asked, "Do you have cameras like this in all of your houses?"

"Yes," he answered as he attempted to pull some more data on Genzyme.

"In every room?" she inquired.

"For security reasons." He replied not really paying attention to her but rather trying to figure out what Genzyme facility Ada was looking into. Judging by the blueprints, it appeared to resemble one of Genzyme's main labs in San Jose, California. The intriguing thing about this facility was it was where Genzyme keep all of the hard copies of their data, from the blueprint Wesker could clearly see a records room.

While he had been pondering this, he had not noticed that Claire had become rather angry at his response, until she exclaimed, "You bastard! The only reason you agreed not to tell my brother about what happened between us was because you already had the whole thing on tape!"

In truth he hadn't even considered this. He had enough on his mind as is and even though he hated Chris a great deal there were more serious issues to deal with at the moment. He looked over at her and calmly replied, "Dear heart, your being rash again."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped as she glared at him a crossed her arms. "And don't call me dear heart."

"I will call you whatever I like," he snarled, rising from the chair so he was towering over her. "And contrary to popular belief I do not seek out your brother to make his life miserable, he merely has a nasty habit of turning up at the most inconvenient times and ruining my plans. Also when I said the_ security _cameras were for_ security _purposes, I really did mean that was my only intended use for them."

"Oh…" She quietly replied feeling a ting of guilt for thinking the worst of him.

He did not respond but merely sat back down in the chair and began looking into some travel information about San Jose. Since he didn't know who he could trust right now this investigating would need to be done on his own. He noticed Claire was still standing idly by his side. "When you are ready to be reasonable we can discuss Genzyme."

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, since he was once again treating her more like a misbehaving child then a partner. After a moment of silence where she let out a sigh of annoyance and asked, "Okay, what's the deal with Genzyme?"

He studied her for a moment, trying to asses if she was actually prepared to listen to him. He then said, "Well from what I had Ms. Wong acquire for me before your brother messed up my plans in Africa, they were an up and coming pharmaceutical company that appeared to be dabbling in BOWs. It seems however that their influence delves deeper than that. You will recall that my boss Arnold Fletcher was murdered in his home on Christmas Day?"

"Yes, I remember that," she nodded. She knew Wesker thought it was some kind of conspiracy.

"At first I thought it was something to do with some kind of coup in the Agency but after someone sent a BOW after us in the lab I'm almost certain Genzyme had a hand in both incidents."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Its mere speculation at the moment, however we shall go to their facility in San Jose to see if we can acquire more data. If someone wants to kill me I should like to know what I'm dealing with."

"Are you sure they were trying to kill you?"

"It seems only logical. Very few people are aware of your new abilities so I'm a larger threat to a company such as Genzyme than you are." Although this was one of the reasons he believed Genzyme was after him there was another reason he believed this that he did not share with Claire. That reason was Sherry Birkin, whoever had set up that trap at the Harvard Lab it was someone who clearly knew exactly how he would react, and that made him uneasy.

"So we're headed to San Jose then?"

"So it would seem."

* * *

Sherry's plan was to get herself and Gavin on a plane and get out of the country as quickly as possible. Luckily she was used to just packing up her things and moving at a moment's notice, living with Uncle Albert meant she was constantly on the move. Gavin was not prepared for this kind of travel however, and had hindered their journey, for one this he had made the mistake of taking his time to call his parents. While Sherry usually found this more sensitive side to Gavin endearing at a time like this being sentimental was not a good idea.

They had stopped back at the University to grab a few items that Sherry kept hidden in one of the old lockers in the computer lab for situations like this, mainly fake passports and some cash. However after grabbing these items they didn't even make it back to the bus stop before an armored van pulled up. Five men dressed in tactical vests jumped out, and Sherry didn't even have time to react before she and Gavin were roughly grabbed and a black bag was thrown over her head. The cloth sack obscured her vision but she still tried to struggle out of the grasp of the man who was holding her as she felt herself being lifted into the van. A blow on the head soon ended her struggling as she lost consciousness.

When she came to again, a bright light blinded her for a moment before the room came into focus. She was sitting in what looked like an office and there was a blonde woman sitting in front of her. The woman's icy blue eyes seemed to bore into Sherry and she could tell this was not a woman to mess with.

The woman seemed to study her for a moment before saying, "I honestly expected Al to be a little more watchful of his best friends' daughter." She then shrugged and said, "I suppose he actually has learned something from all of his failures."

The way the woman spoke about Wesker it was as though she knew him. She knew her Uncle had many enemies but most of them he had shown her pictures of so she would be able to identify them should she ever find herself in a situation like this. She highly doubted that this woman was a friend of her Uncle's and the fact that she hadn't been listed as one of his enemies was concerning to Sherry. "Who are you?" Sherry asked as she struggled for a moment, realizing her hands were tied behind her back.

The woman almost seemed amused by the question. "At the moment I'm Angela Williams however I have always been Alexander Wesker."

"Wesker?" repeated Sherry in confusion. This woman looked like she was in her 40's at the oldest and didn't really look like she was related to Wesker.

"I was the chief researcher on the Wesker Children Project, but that is a story for another day. There is however, another reason for why you are here. My research team in lacking in the _creativity_ I need for some of my projects."

"And what makes you think I'm going to help you?"

"Because I doubt you want something to happen to your research partner."

"How do I know you haven't already done something to him?" Sherry asked, glaring over at the woman in question. The woman Alexandra nodded to a guard who had been standing in the room behind her. The guard left for a moment before wheeling in Gavin who was strapped to dolly and struggling to free himself.

"Gavin, are you okay?" Sherry asked trying to stand and get closer to him but she was still tied to the chair.

"Yeah, I mean aside from the whole being a prisoner thing," he sarcastically replied. She could tell his was trying to stay strong for her but the look in his eyes suggested he was terrified and Sherry could only imagine what Alex must have said or done to him.

"So do we have a deal then, Ms. Birkin?" Alexandra asked bringing the couple's attention back to her.

"Wait what deal? Sherry whatever it is they want you do? Whatever it is don't do it, it isn't worth it. I'm not worth it."

Sherry looked away from him and said in a firm voice "Yes, we have a deal." She tried to ignore Gavin yelling at her not to as he was wheeled out of the room, but she still glanced back at him just one more time. She knew this very well might be the last time she saw him again and she wanted to be reminded of how happy he made her.

"You're making a smart choice, Ms. Birkin," Alexandra said with a smile that was very reminiscing of a cat that had gotten a hold of the cream.

"You mean because I bought myself some time?" Sherry darkly replied. She figured out Alexandra was the type of person who only kept people alive so long as they were useful to her. Sherry also had a feeling that this might have been the last time she would ever see Gavin. Truth be told the only reason she didn't just tell Alex she wasn't going to help her was because she still felt as though she might be able to try and figure out exactly what Alex was working on and how to stop it. She could be a man on the inside in case Uncle Albert decided to come looking for her. It was a small glimmer of hope but she had to try before just giving up.

"Oh come now, don't be so dramatic." Alex said in a patronizing tone. "Now let's get you started on that research shall we?"

* * *

Leon had gone into the bedroom to get some quick shut eye before they started on the drive to San Jose. When he woke about an hour later, he went into the kitchen to find Ada standing there waiting for him.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep?" She asked with a teasing smirk.

"Very funny," he said, rolling his eyes before looking around the room and noticing that everything important was already packed. "So now we need to commit a felony and steal a car?"

"Already taken care of," Ada said as she flashed a set of keys at him. "Wouldn't want you get a black mark on your permanent record."

After their brief exchanged, they headed out into the garage where a silver sedan was parked. "World's Best Grandparents?" He asked when he noticed the license plate holder on the car.

"It was some elderly couple on a road trip. They were with friends; someone will give them a ride," Ada clarified before Leon could lectured her about stranding an elderly couple in the middle of nowhere. They both climbed into their respective seats and Ada quickly shot out of the driveway.

Even when no one was chasing them Ada had the tendency to drive like a maniac. Leon wondered if her lead foot had something to do with the fact that she always seemed to be running from something. The drive to San Jose passed rather quickly but rather than stopping in San Jose Ada kept on driving. Before he could even ask she explained that she had an old friend who lived in San Francisco and if he didn't kill them he would probably let them stay with him.

They pulled up to a shop the Leon recognized almost instantly, although he hadn't been here in awhile. Joe Kendo's shop was just about the only place he ever bought his guns from.

"You know Joe?" he asked as they got out of the car and headed towards the front door of the shop.

"He's a family friend," she stated as she opened the door. A bell chimed as a way to let the shop owner know someone had entered the store. Leon noticed that Ada had tensed as though she was waiting for an attack. However, when Kendo came into sight he didn't look like he had any intention to hurt them. He was cleaning a gun and wearing an almost knowing expression as he said, "I had a feeling you would be back, Ko."

"Ko?" Leon asked wondering why he had called her that.

"It means 'child' in Japanese," she explained before crossing her arms and turning to Joe. "And I though you told me never to come back here again."

"That was before you did the right thing," he replied before looking over at Leon. "How does it feel to be a dead man walking, Kennedy?"

Leon let out a laugh. "I'm been better, but then again I've been worse."

"We need a place to stay," Ada stated trying to cut to the chase.

"I thought I taught you better manners than that," Kendo scolded and Leon smirked because he had a feeling very few people could tell Ada off like that without serious repercussions.

"May we please, have a place to stay?" She spit out, not at all in the mood. The drive had put a strain on her patience and there was something uncomfortable about being back in her childhood home.

"Yes, you may. Your old room is still the same as you left it and I can make up the couch bed for Leon when he needs it. It seems as though you have come a long way, perhaps you would like to get settled first and then can fill me in on what exactly is going on?"

Ada looked as though she was about to protest to this when Kendo interrupted. "If you are staying under my roof the least you could do is tell me what is happening with your hunt for Alex."

Ada just nodded, knowing there was no way she could convince Kendo otherwise. She headed upstairs thinking how nice it would be rest finally. She noticed Leon didn't follow her and she figured he would just stay downstairs and talk to Kendo. She just hoped Joe wouldn't tell him anything he didn't need to know.

Her room was exactly how she had left it all those years ago. As she sank down on the bed she noticed a framed photo of herself and her father standing outside of the gun shop. She picked it up off the nightstand to examine the photo further. Her father was smiling but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. She looked at the young girl standing beside him who had a big smile on her face, naivety was bliss. He father had been killed a week after this photo had been taken, and that was when everything had really changed.

_Her father had gone out on a mission for work and he wasn't home yet and it was starting to get late. She was 10 years old and although she had school tomorrow, she wanted to stay up to make sure he would get home alright. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him until the next morning when she woke to the smell of breakfast being made. _

_She jolted off the couch and hastily made her way to the kitchen expecting to see her father standing there making pancakes like he always did when he had a mission the night before. Instead it was her father's friend, Joe Kendo standing in the kitchen. He turned to face her and she could already tell from the sullen expression on his face that something had happened to her father. _

"_He's dead isn't he?" She whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. _

"_Yes, there was a problem with the mission and he didn't make it," Kendo replied, putting the food on a plate and sitting at the table. Ada sank into the chair across from him as tears clouded her vision of the scene. She couldn't really remember exactly what Kendo had said to her after that. She knew he had explained her situation, but what stuck with her the most was what he had told her about Alexandra Wesker and a company known as Umbrella._

_After the information sank in her sadness began to ebb away as it was replaced with a feeling of intense loathing for this woman who was responsible for so much of her family's suffering. Over the years she had learned to numb her loathing and also her sadness. Emotions got in the way of her missions, numbness was her best solution. _

A knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts, a moment later the door opened just a crack and Leon said "Uh…Joe said I should come a check on you."

"I'm fine," She quickly replied wiping away a traitorous tear she wasn't aware of until now. She set the photo down on the nightstand picture side down.

"Okay…" he hesitantly replied before turning to leave, but then he paused and stuck his head back in the doorway. "You know you don't have to lie to me, Ada."

"What did Kendo say?" She asked, knowing there must be a reason for his heightened concern.

"Just that this place has some bittersweet memories for you," he said with a shrug as he entered the room. He knew he wasn't invited in but he didn't want to have this conversation with the door in the way. He took a moment to look around the room. Kendo had told him that Ada had left here when she was 16 but room didn't look like it belonged to a 16 year old girl at all. There were maps and articles all over the wall that were connected together with various pieces of red twine. It was the kind of behavior associated with a person obsessed, and Leon was beginning to understand that Ada's search for Alex had not only taken up her time it was her life.

"I think that's a bit of an understatement." She bitterly sighed. She didn't elaborate on the statement and instead just sat on the bed in silence. Leon stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say because it was clear Ada didn't want to talk about it. She had half a mind to ask him to leave but with him here she could focus on the present rather than dwelling in the past. "You can sit down if you want." She nodded to the spot next to her on the other foot of the bed.

He sat down gingerly on the bed beside her. They sat in silence for a moment before Leon looked over at her. "Don't you ever get tired of all this?" he asked gesturing towards the wall of information on Alex Wesker.

"I'm always tired, I just can't do anything else," she said with a sigh. Leon rested a hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her and for a moment she let him comfort her. Then she shrugged the hand away, and she glanced over at him for a moment and noticed he was hurt by the action. "Don't you ever get tired of chasing after me?"

He shrugged, "I probably should be but I'm not."

She could tell he was trying to be nonchalant about this but she didn't want him to evade the question. "I'm not worth it..."

Leon looked over and all levity had left his expression. "I know you don't think there is anything for you besides killing Alex, but I don't think that's the case. Ada…" He was looking deep into her eyes as though he was trying to look for an answer, he was checking to see if she truly wanted him to stop. He knew that she wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to save his life and to help him for all these years if she didn't at least feel something for him.

"I don't deserve a life after this," she said, breaking eye contact for a moment and looking away at the door. She felt a hand cup her cheek and turn her back towards him. She had meant what she said. Her whole life is about finding Alex Wesker and she had little time for anything else. In her hunt for Alex she had used whatever she could to get an advantage and that often meant that she had to step on a lot of people to get where she was today. She wasn't proud of many of the things she had done, but she never really dwelled on them because in the end she never really thought about what her life would be like if she succeeded in killing Alex.

But then there was Leon, he had always been an anomaly in her plans. He kept appearing in her life and, try as he might, she had become attached to him. Leon was a fleeting moment of light in a rather dark world.

"Ada…" he began to say but she stole the words from him as she placed her lips on his.

* * *

Wesker couldn't shake the feeling that something about Genzyme wasn't right. It actually felt like a trap though he couldn't reason as to why. It all seemed too easy and the fact that Ms. Wong and Mr. Kennedy were also involved made him even more suspicious. Also concerning was the fact that he hadn't heard from Sherry. He had trusted that she would have found her way to safety by now; after all she was resourceful enough. Yet there was no word, and each time they had fought she would always contact him eventually.

Another matter that did not sit well with him was the fact that he still hadn't found a way to permanently stabilize himself and he would once again be going into a possible combat situation. After Africa, he vowed to get this under control so that his enemies could not use this weakness against him. Instead he had merely managed to acquire another weakness. He glanced over at the fiery redhead who was currently packing an attaché case full of weapons.

"Are you sure we're going to need all of these?" she asked, taking a sub-machine gun and placing it in the case.

"One can never be too prepared for a situation," he explained as he packed a case of serum.

"I can't shake this feeling that we're walking into a trap," she mused, wondering if she was just being paranoid of if he shared this feeling. She realized it was a bit crazy of her to look to Wesker to confirm her suspicions, but the more she looked at the plans for the Genzyme facility the more it all seemed too easy.

"What makes you think that?" he inquired with an amused expression.

"Cause I've walked into enough to them to know," she quipped.

Wesker let out an amused chuckle which was rare considering no-one was in pain at the moment. "Having ordinarily been the one responsible for setting the trap, I concur that something isn't right about this facility."

"So we're still going to just walk right in?"

"Of course not, we'll let Ms. Wong and Mr. Kennedy do that and see how they fair," he stated in a matter-of-fact sort of tone.

Claire just rolled her eyes and mumbled "How noble."

This did not escape Wesker's attention and his eyes flashed before he said, "I suppose you would rather go charging in guns blazing and get us killed?"

"No. I just don't really like the idea of using my friend as bait."

"Sometime sacrifices must be made," he stated in a rather cold manner. Claire knew better than to reply to that statement and decided to head upstairs to start to pack some of her clothes. This left Wesker alone in the lab to dwell further on Genzyme.

There was something about the whole situation that was bothering him. It seemed, familiar in a way, but he couldn't think why. He decided to head to the communication room to look over any data he could find on Genzyme before they left for San Jose.

He sat down in the chair and began to pull any of the old files he had acquired on Genzyme and also started to hack into a satellite that belonged to Genzyme. At first he didn't seem to be able to find anything worthwhile until he stumbled upon a memo. When he first looked at it there was nothing important about it, merely discussing some shipping information but then he noticed the signature at the bottom of the page, it was signed A.W. in near perfect scrawl.

There was only one person Wesker knew who would sign a paper like this, and she was supposed to be dead. He had always known her as his legal guardian, although she had always been cold and distant. However it turns out Alexander Wesker was so much more than that; she had been the head of the Wesker Children Project. She was the one who was actually responsible for making him what he was today. So that was why this had all seemed so familiar, this was exactly the sort of thing Alex would do…

* * *

The past few days had been rather strange for Jill. Chris had been ordered to take some time off which meant she was working without her partner, something she had not done in awhile. Although this usually wouldn't bother her, she couldn't help but find that something was off about it. Her boss Jacobs seemed distracted, and although it wasn't terribly strange she noticed the supplier for their health sprays had changed.

When she got home, she found Chris sitting on the couch watching T.V. with a rather sour expression.

"So how was work?" he asked watching as she kicked off her shoes and sank down on the couch beside him.

"Fine, it's just…I don't know, nevermind," she said, shaking her head. It was probably nothing.

"It's just what?" He questioned looking over at her with interest.

"This may sound paranoid but I think something is going on at the BSAA."

"Like what?"

"This," She said reaching into her bag and pulling out a can of health spray and tossing it to him. He caught it and looked at the label, it looked basically the same as the old ones, still the same pale green but this particular can was manufactured by a different company.

"Genzyme?"

"Yeah, and that's not all. I know what Jacobs told you about Claire has really been bothering you but I got a hold of a copy of the security tape." She said pulling it out of her bag as well. Before he could ask she explained, "Remember when I worked in the records room with Audrey apparently she thinks of me as a friend now and I was able to ask her for a favor."

Chris looked at the tape in Jill's hand, as much as he wanted to look at it he was afraid of what he might see. He hated to think that there was some kind of cover up going on at the BSAA, though then again it wouldn't be the first time he trusted the organization he worked for and they turned out to be up to no good. Still, he found himself saying that they should watch the tape, because he wanted to at least prove he was right about Claire and that she wouldn't shoot someone in cold blood like his boss has suggested.

The tape quality was grainy and Jill explained that Audrey said it had been on an encrypted file which had to be decrypted in order to see the image. He watched as Wesker and Claire entered the lab and went straight to work on the computers, there was no sound on the film but it was clear from their lips moving that they talking while they worked.

He gritted his teeth when Wesker appeared to laugh at something his sister had said, the two of them should not be acting like they were friends. That was when the scientist entered, he appeared to be in pain and Wesker didn't seem to notice him but Claire had. She didn't even ask anything merely shot.

Chris watched in disbelief as Wesker and his sister stood over the dying man before they left shortly after. His boss had been right, Claire had killed man in cold blood. He would like to think she had a good reason but he was finding it harder and harder to make excuses for her. He only hoped that if something was going down with Genzyme, he wouldn't have to face what she was becoming.

"Maybe…" Jill started to say trying to come up with some sort of explanation to help calm Chris down.

"We don't know the whole story, I know," Chris darkly replied as he turned off the T.V. because he couldn't bear to look at the screen anymore.

"I can take some time off and we can try and find her again. It should be easier now that we know she's stateside," Jill offered.

"No…I think maybe we should look into this Genzyme Company. Something doesn't seem right about them."

"I'll call some people and see what I can find out."

* * *

Claire honestly had no idea where Wesker got the money for some of the things he had and she was fairly certain she never wanted to know. Not to mention the fact that all of the people working at the private airstrip didn't even seem to care that Wesker was probably on some kind of most wanted list and neither did the people operating the private jet they were currently sitting in. At the moment Wesker was pouring over some information on his laptop while Claire was doing the same on her own computer.

She had been looking up more information on Genzyme and had found a news article explaining how they were teaming up with the BSAA to promote safer biotechnology regulations. She wondered if her brother knew about Genzyme and everything they were up to. She glanced over at Wesker and noticed his brow knitted in concentration. She leaned over a bit to try and see what he was looking at on his laptop when he quickly closed it and glared over at her.

"You know if we're working together I don't see the harm in me knowing what you are researching," she said, rolling her eyes.

"If it is important that you know I will tell you the information, if not, it is none of your business," he icily replied. Having spend so much time with Wesker she knew this was the tone he used when the matter was personal and it was something he didn't want to share with her. After all, Wesker was a very private person.

"Well if you're even bothering to look into it now, it's something important to the mission and I happened to think it's important that I know exactly what I'm getting into here. I mean you still haven't even told me how we're getting into the building or anything like that."

"Dear heart, I know for a fact you're good at improvising so I don't see the need to inform you on anything further than you already know."

"I don't think that fair," she whined. He opened to mouth to reply when she said "Don't you dare tell me that life isn't fair."

"Fine, if you must know why I haven't informed you of my plans it is because I am trying something new. What I have done in the past hasn't always worked out; I'm far to organized for my own good, and try as I might to plan for every possible outcome it simply never works. So I'm keeping you in the dark to unleash a bit of chaos into the situation. You do not have to follow my plan I'm giving you free reign, so to speak."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" she scoffed.

"Believe what you like, that is the truth," he calmly replied before opening his computer once again; however he had to close it once again when Claire tried to look over his shoulder at the files.

He glared over at her and she just raised a questioning eyebrow, "I thought you said I had free reign? I took that to mean I could look at whatever information I wanted."

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, he had to give her some credit for turning his words against him even if it was annoying. "No dear heart, you misunderstood me. You get free reign once everything is in motion. If this were like a game of chess you would be the Queen, you can move in any direction of the board, however the game hasn't started yet. Until then you are to stay put."

"I can't make any promises," she said, knowing she would probably try and do something that would go against whatever it was he had planned for her.

"I wouldn't expect you to," he replied, knowing this was very nature of their partnership. He paid no further attention to her and went back to looking through the files that he had been trying to keep from her. He also knew she wasn't going to give up trying to look at what was on his computer but he could at least control what she saw. He scrolled to the top of the screen so that most of the important information from the file was obscured.

Claire waited for a moment, looking at the window at the city that was starting to come into view, before casually leaning over and trying to catch a glimpse of the screen, the main thing she noticed was a familiar logo at the heading. She didn't know why he was looking at an old Umbrella personnel file, but she had a feeling it had something to do with this case and that he had no intention of telling her. She looked out the window once again; it had started to rain, and she realized they would be landing soon. However something about this whole situation was not sitting well with her, but she knew they would have to press on anyways. She only hoped that everything would go according to plan.

* * *

Ada returned to her senses the moment the kiss began to deepen and she gently pushed Leon away. She stood and crossed the room looking at the wall of information on Alexander Wesker.

"Ada," Leon said, standing up as well and walking towards her. She could hear a mix of emotions in his tones

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that," She said as she turned to leave the room only to realize that he was blocking her only exit.

"Damn it, Ada! Then why did you?" He shouted, anger becoming the emotion he finally settled on.

"I don't know, okay? When it comes to you, I just…I don't always make the best decisions. I realize that, but I can't deal with this right now. I am the closest I've ever been to killing Alex and that is my only concern right now." She made a move to push past him but he grabbed her arm stopping her.

"No, you don't get to just show up in my life like this and leave whenever the hell you feel like it Ada. It's not fair."

"News flash handsome," she snapped yanking her arm from his grasp. "Life isn't fair, how the hell do you think I got in this mess in the first place."

Her feet carried her quickly out the door and she half expected him to tell her to wait but he never did. She decided it was best not to dwell on Leon and the whole issue that he presented, after all she had an objective to complete and keeping herself busy with other things would be rather easy. She knew she still needed to speak with Kendo about her plans for Genzyme and Alex, so she went downstairs to find him sitting at his desk tinkering with some new weapon.

"He has a point you know," the old man said without looking up from his weapons.

"Please, you and I both know he's better off staying away from me," Ada scoffed, she knew that Kendo had probably heard a great deal of the conversation she had just had with Leon, the walls in the small apartment were rather thin and sound travelled. "So what was it you wanted to know about Genzyme?"

Kendo looked up from his work and eyed her with a concerned expression. "Well for starters, how do you plan on breaking into a building when Alex knows not only who you are, but that you went rogue? I mean you're good kid but you don't have the resources to pull off a full scale attack on this building."

"Alex is working with B.O.W. I can get past enough of the security to let them out. The building goes into full lock down when that happens trapping everyone inside, including Alex."

"Okay and say you do manage to get to her, how exactly do you plan to kill the woman? Not to mention this plan has you written all over it, I think she's going to expect something like this."

"I'll figure it out as I go along if I have to. She's not getting away this time Kendo. As for how to kill her, I've been looking into a few options and I think I have something that might work."

"Don't suppose you're planning on telling me what that is exactly?"

"No. Look, I don't have a lot of the details; Leon and I will scout out the building tomorrow and see what we can find out."

"If you ask me it sounds as though you don't nearly have enough resources to really pull off something of this scale."

"I've been working alone for years, Kendo, I think I will be fine."

"No, you have worked freelance for companies with a great deal of resources before, not alone."

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I think you're being foolish. This is exactly what you father did you know. Don't trip at the finish line. You've come this far and you've risked everything don't throw it all away because you want to act quickly!"

"Thanks for the advice Kendo but I'm fine. I've taken care of myself since I was 16. I don't need you lecturing me," She said before turning her back on the old man and heading out the front door. The bell to the shop clanked as she slammed the door behind her.

Kendo let out a defeated sigh before turning his attention back to the weapon on his table. "You can just stand in the hallway like and idiot or you can come in here and make yourself useful," the old man said to what appeared to be no one. However, Leon had been standing out in the hallway listening to the entire conversation and assumed that Kendo meant him.

"Do you want me to go after her? She shouldn't just be wandering around out there," Leon moodily replied nodding towards the door. A rather nasty storm had picked up and the rain drops were pounding against the shop windows.

"When she wants to return she will," Kendo replied.

"With her that could be years," he darkly replied.

"She's a runner, Leon it's in her nature. You're just stupid enough to chase her."

"I don't chase her," he mumbled as Kendo shot him an incredulous look over his reading glasses. "She's like a bad penny, she just keeps turning up. And usually she gets me shot."

"Perhaps that's not a bad thing."

"Me getting shot?"

"Her turning up. I know her better than she realizes and I know the fact that she hasn't killed you yet means she cares about you more than she lets on."

"Well that's comforting," he sarcastically quipped, though he still found himself looking towards the door once again.

"I'm just trying to tell you that you might not be so stupid for chasing her after all. However you can't expect her to accept her feelings," Kendo began to explain as he set a picture frame on the desk of a happy looking family with a small girl holding both of her parents' hands. "Everything that girl has loved has been taken away from her."

* * *

Sherry Birkin looked at the information the screen in front of her in disbelief. Her father and Uncle Albert had been advanced when it came to the art of viruses but the sample that Alex had her working with was sheer perfection. It was an amazing specimen however, it was also extremely dangerous. The interesting thing about this virus thought was that it wasn't fast acting like many of the other viruses she had come in contact with over the years. It had regenerative properties and Sherry had been given the task of trying to make it survive without a host, something completely uncharacteristic of viruses.

She didn't know why Alex was making her do this or what Alex intended for this project. All she knew was that it couldn't be good. She was essentially a prisoner, Alex had set her up in a lab in the basement that was separate from where the main staff was working, which meant that Sherry couldn't even spy on anyone else. In fact the only person she had been in contact with since she started the project was Alex and the guard that had been assigned to watch her. The conversations were brief, generally just Alex asking her questions about her progress and Sherry answering them.

She was walking a fine line however, because instead of devoting all of her time to Alex's project she had a little side project of her own. She had a feeling that Alex had infected herself with some strain of the virus that Sherry had been given to work with and Sherry was constantly trying to figure out a way to destabilize the virus. So far the only virus she could really test it with was G, because she was able to manipulate the antidote in her own blood to make the virus. As she poured over the results of today's test she found that once again Alex's virus had over powered and eliminated the foreign invader, she would just have to try something else. She was just lucky that the guard assigned to watch her appeared to be more brawn than brain, he didn't have a clue what she was doing and this worked to her advantage.

The lights in her lab flickered for a moment; this was the fourth time in less than an hour. She had a feeling that something in the building was using a great deal of energy and this was causing the brief power outages before the backup generators kicked in. The building that she was working in was state of the art. You needed keycards to get through any of the doors, passwords changed every hour, and in the event of a viral accident, the entire building went on lock down until either the safety code was input of someone activated cleansing code. Sherry was also certain the basement level was not accessible to most of the personnel working in this facility. During the few times she was outside of her lab she would walk down the winding corridors to try and get a layout of the building above, however this place was a maze and most of the doors where heavily sealed. On these trips of course she wasn't without her guard, however she explained that walking around helped her think and this was her excuse for her often long trips through the corridors.

The corridors had an eerily empty quality to them. Everything in them was white, and under the harsh fluorescent lights it gave the feeling of a hospital wing that had been abandoned by everyone who worked there. Her would often echo when she walked through them and it made her feel uncomfortable. Her thoughts however where interrupted by a knock on the lab door, Sherry quickly closed the data she had been looking and said "Come in."

A moment later Alex entered looking fair younger than she had the last time Sherry had seen her. Alex looked at her reflection on the surface of the metal lab table as she asked "Have you made any progress?"

"Perhaps, but nothing to be sure of at the moment. I need to run some more tests," Sherry replied, looking at young appearance of the much older women. Alex looked no older than 25 and like she could be a friend of Sherry's rather than the woman who had been working at Umbrella since before her father or Uncle Albert.

"That is disappointing," she coldly stated looking at the skin around her eyes. "It is so nice to be rid of those crow's feet." She said more to herself than to Sherry. Alex had a tendency to speak out loud some of her thoughts. It seemed Alex was done with her act of being a senator's wife and therefore no longer felt the need to look the part.

"I'm working as fast as I can." Sherry said, not sure how else to reply.

"Well if you want your partner to continue to remain unharmed I suggest you, dig deep and see if you can't work a little bit father then. Maybe if you weren't spending so much time trying to find a way to kill me, you would be able to get my project done."

"I don't know what you're talking about," She shakily replied.

"Don't play dumb dear, it's an insult to both of our intelligence levels. Regardless, I expect to hear concrete progress by this time tomorrow or their will be consequences." Alex coldly replied turning her steely gaze away from her reflection and looking right at Sherry.

"You'll have results by tomorrow," She confidently said, even though she didn't actually feel any of it.

"You'd better" was Alex's final remark before she turned and left the lab, leaving Sherry alone again with her work. Although Sherry had a feeling Alex had known about her little side project, the fact that she hadn't tried to stop her meant that she was nowhere near making any progress. However, Sherry was determined not to give up and there was also the slight off chance that Alex was bluffing, perhaps Sherry was actually close but if Alex where to shut down her work now that would only mean that Sherry had succeeded. She only hoped that she could also get the work done for Alex as quickly as possible.

After all, she didn't want anything to happen to Gavin, if it hadn't already. She couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him if she could do something about it. Besides her research Gavin had been the best thing that had happened to her. He always knew how to make her smile if she was having a bad day and although she hadn't told him everything about her past he was very understanding of her situation. She didn't know what she would do without him but she didn't want to dwell on it instead she would focus on her work in hopes to save Gavin.

**Review please to let me know people still want to read this. I plan on finishing it anyway but it would be nice to hear people are still reading it :)**


	19. Redemption

**So I know I haven't posted a chapter in forever. Also this has only been edited by me and not a beta. Since I've graduated college I know have a bit more time to write. So I'll be working on finishing this story. Probably monthly updates are to be expected but I can't make any promises. Also I've thought of a possible sequel so there might be some Resident Evil 6 stuff being peppered in a bit. **

Once the plane had landed on a private airstrip Claire and Wesker there proceeded to a hanger where a car was there waiting for them. The silver sedan was not as nice as some of the previous cars that they had driven but Claire assumed it was because Wesker wanted to be none descript and one of the sports cars he usually drove would certainly draw attention. After inspecting the car Wesker instructed the pilot to unload the suitcases into the trunk.

While Wesker observed the progress Claire stood behind him and asked "So do I get to know where we are going or is that not part of the plan?"

"There is a hotel near the Genzyme main offices, it is ideal because it is nearby but not close enough to warrant concern. I believe it would be wise to head there.

"Okay," She said with a shrug before heading towards the passenger seat of the car. Wesker got into the driver's seat shortly after that and they pulled away from the hanger before heading onto the freeway. Claire began to fiddle with the radio as they drove and Wesker clenched his jaw in annoyance. She was expecting him to snap at her quickly but after a minute or two she had found a station and he still hadn't said anything so she continued to look just to see how long this would last.

Finally he stated in a strained tone, "Dear heart, if you cannot find a suitable station perhaps silence is a better alternative than static."

She merely smirked before stopping on a classic rock station, the sour expression he often wore did not seem to change any at her finally picking a station and she imaged that this was because this was not the type of station he would at all listen to. He didn't tell her to change it though so she left it as is. She looked out the window at the city passing by and still couldn't shake that feeling that something was coming. She was worried about Wesker's so called plan about Genzyme and she didn't really know what to do about it. She would just have to wait until the hotel where she could possibly get onto his computer and try and look up that Umbrella Corp. Personal File he had been examining on the plane.

She knew that something about Gezyme was tied to Wesker's past, after all he only got this secretive about something when it had to do with him personally and while she had gotten close enough to him to be privy to certain aspects of his life, his past was not a topic of discussion. She almost laughed out loud at this thought; she doubted a little over a year ago she would be okay with or even want to be close enough to Wesker, to be a part of his life. She didn't really have much control over how this situation panned out however, she found herself surprisingly okay with this notion, maybe she really was losing it.

The hotel was actually in the city of San Francisco because as Wesker explained that he didn't want to attract too much attention to their presence here. Claire wasn't surprised when they pulled up to the hotel it was certainly a five stars. They parked and Wesker handed his keys to the valet before they headed inside.

Once they got their room and headed upstairs the first thing Wesker did was head to a desk and open his laptop to begin pouring over whatever information he had been looking at on the plane. Claire took the time to look around the room for a moment, and she then turned to Wesker and said "There's only one bed."

"Yes, I know for a fact neither of us needed to sleep anytime soon so two seemed superfluous. Also if you require any food I suggest just going to the store instead of ordering room service I would prefer to not be disturbed in here." Wesker said.

Unsure of what to do Claire decided to start to unpack. She wasn't sure how long they would be staying and since the bell hop had already brought up their suitcases she might was well unpack them. She noticed among their suitcases where some new items in shopping bags. Investigating further she found that one box contained a tuxedo while the other had a black evening gown with matching diamond earring and necklace.

"Are we going to a party or something?" Claire asked pulling the dress out of the box to get a better look, while the front was relativity modest the back was almost on existent. She stood in front of a large mirror and held the dress against her body.

"No, but one can never be too prepared." Wesker replied pausing in his work for a moment as he examined her for a moment. "It's a pity really, that dress would look exquisite on you."

"I'm not sure it's really my type." Claire said with a smirk glancing over at Wesker, he had moved from his seat and crossed the room to stand behind her.

"Perhaps, but it suits you none the less." He drawled running a hand along the silken fabric and the side of her hip.

Claire felt herself lean into his touch. There was once a time when she wanted nothing to do with him, but now in some twisted way he provided a familiar comfort. She hated most of the things he did and yet she found herself craving his touch. She had given in once, and that was all it took, like the virus coursing through her veins, Albert Wesker was a part of her.

Since his first contact with the T-virus, Albert Wesker never gave into carnal needs. Of course he would act on them should the occasion call for it but he was always in control of the situation, he never had to act on them, he simply wanted to.

However, something about Claire was different. He thought acting on his desired would have sated his lust but instead of extinguishing the flames it only added fuel to the fire. The moment imagined that dress hugging her near perfect curves, he had to have her. Not because he wanted to but because he need to, and it was this notion that troubled him to no end. Albert Wesker wasn't supposed to need anyone.

His goal to gain her trust and submission had backfired. While he managed to draw her closer, she in turn did the same to him, and the result was the tangled union they found themselves in. As their lips locked in a dueling kisses, Albert Wesker realized with trepidation that he had met his match.

* * *

Alex was beginning to realize that Sherry Birkin was more stubborn than she had anticipated. Yes she was technically complying with Alex's requests but she kept trying to hack the computer system and actually came fairly close accessing some pretty sensitive files. Usually Alex would just kill someone who was being this annoying but Sherry Birkin had other uses.

She headed to her office and was about to enter when she paused, _something didn't feel right_. She pulled the gun from her thigh holster that she always kept just in case. She could hear someone moving insider her office. She listened for a moment to find out where they were before quickly entering the room and pointing her weapon at the corner of her room where the intruder stood.

"Derek, you're not wearing your visitors pass." She quipped when she realized who it was, however she didn't lower her weapon.

"Come now, Alexandra I hardly thing someone as important as me needs one of those." He replied with a chuckle. "How is the Birkin girl working out?

"She's difficult, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Well, The Family is interested in her. We would be more than willing to take her off your hands."

"And what makes you think she would listen to you any better?" Scoffed Alex folding her arms and looking at Simmons.

"Simple, I am the National Security Advisor, I send some DSO agents in to 'rescue' her and gain her trust that way."

"What about Albert?"

"From what I understand he and Ms. Birkin had a falling out, so as far as my plan is concerned the tyrant is not my problem, he's yours."

"Alright, but I'm not giving her up for free. I want more funding, and a defense contract with the DSO."

"I believe those terms are agreeable." Said Simmons with a nod. "If I were you I'd move any projects you don't want the government to know about away from Ms. Birkin's cell. I'll send in troops in the morning."

"I might leave some pets, it can't look too easy."

"No we wouldn't want that now would we?" Simmons laughed before he left the office. Alex let out a growl of annoyance once he was out of ear shot. While she needed the support and funding The Family provided she didn't like the idea of working for Simmons. Unfortunately despite her genetic superiority this was not enough for her to unleash her plans. At least she had solved the Sherry Birkin issues. While part of her wondered what Simmons wanted with her she had bigger fish to fry. The sooner she eliminated the threats to her plan the sooner it could be implemented.

* * *

Since neither of them needed to sleep and Wesker wasn't exactly the cuddle after type, Claire was not at all surprised when he got up and promptly dressed before announcing he had to get some supplies.

"I suppose I'm being dragged wherever you need to go as well then?" Claire said getting up from the bed to relocate her clothes. However after examining her old garments she decided to grab some new clothes from her suit case. It seemed as though Wesker had a habit of ripping of most of her clothing, _if we keep having sex I'm going to run out of clothes_. She thought to herself before shaking her head, she knew that fighting the strange power Wesker had over her was something she couldn't do forever, but when she decided to give in a few days ago she hadn't really expected a repeat performance. Part of her thought it was curiosity and once she got that out of her system it wouldn't be a problem anymore but it seemed her hypothesis proved false.

"Why must you cling to this notion that you are my hostage and I force you to do things?" He grimaced.

"I don't know, habit?" She shrugged. Actually, while she had started off as a hostage, and then perhaps a reluctant acquaintance the more time she spent with Wesker the more she became confused about their relationship. "I guess technically, we're partners." She mumbled thinking aloud.

Of course Wesker heard her and with a raised eyebrow replied, "Are we, dear heart? That would imply you are my equal."

"Well I am a 'chosen one'" She smirked.

"True." Wesker replied the corner of his mouth upturned slightly. It was an expression Claire rarely saw him make but it was the closest thing to a sincere smile she had ever seen. The expression quickly faded however and he went right back to business. "I'm going to a gun shop to retrieve a new firearm, would you like to accompany me?"

"Sure."

* * *

Jill requested more time off work, claiming it was stress and no one seemed to question it. Since Chris was already suspended no one would notice him missing. The Genzyme headquarters were located in San Jose. While they obviously didn't plan on going in guns blazing since it was part of BSAA protocol to do inspections of certain companies Jill figured out a way they could make their visit seem like a surprise inspection. This was not something her and Chris had ever been trained to do in fact it was usually something the suits did but she was sure it couldn't be too hard.

Once they board the rather crowded plane Jill noticed Chris' pensive expression. The footage of Claire shooting that scientist had really shaken him. She reached out and rested a hand on his arm to comfort him. "We're going to get through this, we always do." She said with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, but at what cost? Leon's dead, the BSAA thinks Claire's a threat, what else has to happen before this is over." He darkly replied.

"Chris, I know this has been hard for you, we'll make it right."

"I'm not sure we can. The more I think about that tape the more I think the BSAA might be right, about Claire."

"I'm sure there's an explanation."

"Maybe for why she killed that man but not why she's acting the way she is. She was laughing, Jill. Before it all went down, her and Wesker looked like they were talking and being friendly. Like they were partners or something."

"Well she has been with him for a few months now, that's more than enough time to develop Stockholm Syndrome."

"Yeah that's what I've been thinking, but that takes time to break. When we run into her again, I just have to be ready for it, we'll be facing Claire but it's not the Claire we know. I'm not sure I can handle that, there isn't some devise we can just rip out and she turns back to normal."

"I know, but deep down she's still your sister. If push came to shove she'd do the right thing."

"She's a fighter." Said Chris with a sad smile. He had a feeling that he would be seeing her sometime soon, he just wasn't sure he would be ready for her when he did. How different had she become from the little sister he had always been so close to.

* * *

The drive took a while because the gun shop was not in San Jose but was actually in San Francisco, Chinatown to be exact. It was pouring down rain as they got out of the car and headed towards the shop, Claire noticed that the sign read Kendo's and for some reason she thought this name sounded familiar but she couldn't place it.

As they entered the shop a bell rang which signaled their presence. The shop was cluttered and dimly lit but Claire could see an old man working at a craft table in the main part of the shop. He didn't look up from his work but said "I will be with you in a moment."

"We are in a hurry so it would be in your best interest to help us now." Wesker drawled in his usual arrogant tone. Claire fought the urge to roll her eyes at how demanding he was.

This caused the old man to pause in his work before looking up at them with a calculating gaze. "I don't make weapons for men like you, not anymore."

"Yes well I'm not asking." Wesker replied evenly. A moment later Claire heard the sound of a gun being drawn however she noticed that the old man was not the one holding it. She glanced over at the doorway that she assumed lead to the residence above the gun shop and she saw Leon standing there.

"Mr. Kennedy, I was aware that you and Chris knew each other but I was unaware that you had the same habit of turning up at the most inconvenient times." Wesker said in a bored tone. While he seemed annoyed at the interruption it was clear that he didn't seem to think of Leon as a threat in this moment.

A tense silence weighted heavily on the scene. Leon held his ground pointing his gun at Wesker while Wesker simply looked bored. Claire stood coiled and ready to spring into action should the occasion call for it while the old man at the work bench continued on with his project like nothing was happening.

The ringing of the bell on the shop door caused everyone's attention to shift. Ada stood in the doorway looking not nearly as put together as she usually did. She was dripping wet from the rain and survey the group with interest but also caution.

"Kendo why didn't you tell me we were having a party? I would have dressed nicer." She said with a smirk.

"I didn't know either. You'd better handle this Ko, I don't want to clean up whatever mess you made." The old man named Kendo replied.

"Why are you here, Wesker?" Ada asked as she glanced around the room trying to figure out the best plan of attack.

"I required some weapons and for the situation I find myself in I required the best so naturally I came here. I wasn't expecting to find you or Mr. Kennedy."

"I had some personal matters to attend to." Ada replied.

"From what I understand you're angered the wrong people, Ms. Wong."

"I've got it under control."

"I see." Wesker said sounding unconvinced. "Would you care to call off your…personal matter?"

Ada followed Wesker's gaze toward where Leon stood still pointing his gun at him looking pissed. Ada crossed the room and walked towards where Leon stood. "Leon, it's not worth it." She said putting a hand on his arm. However, he didn't lower his weapon like she had hoped.

"He kidnapped, Claire and now he has the nerve to just show up here and demand Kendo help him. No way in hell, I'm putting my gun down. Not until he leaves."

Wesker let out a sigh of annoyance. "Claire, can you please inform Mr. Kennedy that you are not being held here against your will?"

Everyone's attention shifted to her and for a moment she didn't know what to say. Leon looked livid and she didn't want to tell him she was working with Wesker, he would never understand that. "I…We're after Genzyme too."

"Yeah, this bastard's probably looking to steal all their research!" Leon said still pointing his gun at Wesker.

Ada knew how tense the situation had become and tired to defuse it the best way she knew how. Her hand still rested on Leon's arm and she lean in close so that she could whisper in his ear. "I'm going to need you to trust me, Handsome" She then stepped in from of him so she was between Wesker and the gun.

"So what about Genzyme interests you?" Ada asked knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer and while she didn't particularly like Wesker he was a man with resources and the kind of resources she would need for a job like this. Leon lowered his weapon but he didn't look too happy about it.

"Perhaps we can discuss this elsewhere." Wesker suggested his expression un-readable but the fact that he was even suggesting it meant to Ada that perhaps he was in need of an ally as well. After all they were both the type of people who knew how beneficial others could be to certain aspects of work. Ada suggested that they move into the kitchen and when Claire went to follow them Wesker told her to stay in the main shop. She was not happy with this order but she didn't question it and merely stood in the shop with Kendo and Leon who looked equally annoyed.

* * *

Leon sat down at the workbench next to Kendo and began to clean the gun he had pointed at Wesker a few moments ago. It was the only way he could get himself to calm down, since he was still seeing red. He knew Ada worked with some shady people but after everything Wesker had done he really didn't like the idea of him being here. He noticed Claire pacing around the shop, and he couldn't figure out what had happened to her. The Claire he knew wouldn't be hanging around with someone like Wesker.

"So do you care to explain, when you and Wesker became such pals?" Leon said nodding his head toward the room Wesker and Ada had just disappeared into.

"I'm still fighting for the same thing you are, Leon." She replied with a sigh.

"All I'm saying is the Claire I know wouldn't be partners with an ex-Umbrella employee not to mention a BOW." Leon quipped spitting out the word BOW with disgust.

"It's…complicated, and you won't understand." she replayed darkly. She was beginning to understand that people like her brother or Leon would never see the possibility for good with anything involving viruses.

"Try me."

"Did Chris tell you about what happened to me in Africa?"

"No, he didn't get the chance. Why?"

"Technically, I'm a BOW too, it's the Urobros virus…"

"Yeah but Claire, that's different I'm sure we can find a cure, you don't have to be like this." Leon said. He knew Wesker must have somehow convinced Claire that there was no escape. Even though Claire was strong, Wesker had managed to hurt some of the strongest people Leon knew. He just had to show Claire he was there for her.

Claire's eyes flashed as an anger she didn't even realize she harbored rose up inside of her. "I'm so sick of people saying they can cure me like there's something wrong with me! It's a part of me now, I've accepted that. You know for how much everyone hates Wesker, at least he doesn't act like I've become some sort of monster."

Claire felt her anger quickly fading and her eyes began to well up with tears. She was tired of worrying about what her brother or her friends would think about her, mostly she was tired of hating herself. Leon looked down at his feet unsure as to how to respond to her outbreak. After a minute of tense silence Claire stormed into the other room where Wesker and Ada were meeting.

* * *

Ada barely had a chance to get any information out of Wesker before the Redfield girl came barging in looking visible upset.

"What is it, De-Claire?" Wesker inquired. Ada was almost certain he sounded concerned, or as concerned as someone like Wesker could be.

"I want to leave. Are you almost done?" Claire stated hugging her arms around herself, glancing over at Ada.

"No. But perhaps this information would better be discussed at another time, preferably in a more secure location." Wesker said turning his attention to Ada.

"Name a time and a place."

"There's an old umbrella warehouse not far from here." Wesker said walking towards the doorway where Claire stood. "Do you know it?"

"Yes." Ada replied watching as Wesker put a hand on the small of Claire back and started to usher he out of the room. She noticed Claire seemed to relax into his touch.

"I will see you there are 7:00am tomorrow" He curtly instructed.

"Don't be late." Ada said with a coy smile. _Well that was interesting_. She thought to herself, there were very few people who could interrupt Wesker during a meeting and even fewer who could actually get him to leave one.

Shortly after Claire and Wesker left, Ada entered the main room of the gun shop where Kendo and Leon where waiting.

"I'm not working him." Leon adamantly stated.

Ada rolled her eyes. "Don't be a child, Leon. Sometimes you have to play with the rich kid because they have the best toys, you don't have to like them."

"Ko, I know I said you couldn't do it alone, but that man cannot be trusted." Kendo said, offering his advice.

"Trust me, Kendo I know. I've worked with him before, but I think I might have finally gotten some leverage." She replied with a smile like a cat that caught the canary.

"What?" Said Leon with interest.

"Redfield…there's something these between those too."

Leon let out an indignant snort. "What Claire and Wesker? They may be partners now or whatever but I highly doubt there's anything else."

"I guess. You know her better than I do." Said Ada with a shrug. _But they are sleeping together_ Ada thought to herself. Her spy training had taught her to look for connections between people and there was always a certain level of comfort around people who were intimately involved. She wondered what was so special about Claire Redfield, since in all the years she had know Wesker she was basically convinced the man was asexual. However, Leon interrupted her thoughts and gave her an answer without even realizing it.

"Ada, Claire told me she's infected with the Uroboros virus. You wouldn't be any chance know of an anti-virus for that?"

"Yes and no. Uroboros is complicated, in order to properly bond with the host it kills them brings them back. Curing Claire would most likely kill her for good."

"I just don't understand how someone like Claire could work for someone like Wesker." Leon said shaking his head in disbelief. He changed the subject because he wasn't ready to consider the information Ada had just told him.

Ada let out a bitter laugh. "The same way anyone heads down the wrong path. You tell yourself you're only pretending and this isn't who you are until eventually your lie becomes the truth." She had a distant look on her face, that Leon assumed meant she was reliving a distant memory however, this was short lived as the wall came up and she changed the subject. "I'm going to put on some dry clothes."

* * *

As Wesker and Claire drove back to the hotel they barely said a word. In fact, Claire was being unnaturally quiet; she hadn't even touched the radio station or done something to get on his nerves since they had gotten in the car. She just stared at the window with a blank expression on her face.

Although it shouldn't the fact that Claire was upset bother him. It wasn't like her to run from a situation, the only thing that made her that upset was when something with her brother or her virus came up. He wasn't sure which topic was the culprit and the scientist in him needed a conclusive answer.

Wesker let out an annoyed sigh before he spoke, "Would you care to explain why, you interrupted my meeting, dear heart?"

She glanced over at Wesker before focusing on passing scene outside the window. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

He paused and pondered the very notion that someone could even think to say that to her. Yes, she was a nuisance sometimes, perhaps more trouble than she was worth but there wasn't a monstrous thing about Claire Redfield. The fact that someone must have said something to her to make her think that angered him to no end. "While that doesn't answer my question, no dear heart I don't think you're a monster."

"My brother and Leon are never going to accept me while I'm infected. I'm still me but they can't look past it."

_Ah, so I was right on both counts_. He knew he needed to defuse the situation, but in a way that wouldn't speak too ill of her brother or Kennedy. "One of the major problems your brother and Mr. Kennedy have is that they only see the world as black and white. Their world view is far too simple; nothing is purely good or purely evil. After Raccoon City they view viruses as evil, but often we require an altered version of the virus to create a cure. That's how we created the polio vaccine."

"Yeah, I guess." Claire said with the ghost of a smile.

"Are you actually acknowledging that I am right about something, Dear Heart?" He replied with a smirk.

"Ha ha, enjoy it while you can, it won't happen again." She said rolling her eyes.

Wesker however did not let the playful tone between the two of them last. "You should be careful around Ms. Wong." He warned her. He knew he had slipped up when she came to interrupt his meeting. He had almost called her dear heart. He couldn't afford to let anyone know of his attachment to Claire, it was a weakness he couldn't have.

Her brown knitted in confusion, "Why? I mean yeah she did kind of leave Leon and me hanging in Raccoon City but Leon trusts her, so she can't be that dangerous right?"

Wesker sternly replied, "You and Mr. Kennedy have no idea what Ms. Wong is capable of. And due to my carelessness she had leverage on us."

"How?"

"Ms. Wong is a spy and she's a good one at that. She noticed I valued you, when I stopped our meeting it suggested that your time was more valuable to me than this mission. Spies exploit the relationships of people who could be a threat to them. If Ms. Wong feels threaten she'll most likely come after you." Wesker snarled not at all like the idea of that prospect.

"Because you care about me." Claire stated looking and him and waiting for him to confirm her idea.

Wesker let out an irate sigh, "I never said that." _I shouldn't care about her, it's the virus in her blood stream I'm interested in._ Yet even as he thought this statement a nagging doubt told him this was not the whole truth. Yes, it had started that way, but somehow Claire had gotten under his skin, or perhaps he was going soft.

He had read that silly book she mention at Christmas about this creature called a Grinch, who's heart was two sizes too small. A simple act of kindness healed the Grinch's cold heart but not only was that physically impossible redemption was something Wesker wasn't interested in. The things he had done, in fact given the choice he would do most of them again, and yet a small part of him wished to embrace the sliver of good she saw in him.

"But it's true." She replied. He gripped the steering wheel tighter in an effort to control his temper. _If only she understood the turmoil she caused_…

"There's everything wrong with it. It makes you…reckless and foolish. Not to mention it gives your opponent a great deal of leverage, because they have the power to take away something that is irreplaceable." He quipped, he hoped she would realize his temper was rising and leave the subject at that. However, she clearly wanted to press forward.

"Yes but it also gives you something to fight for. It makes the stakes higher yes, but when you have more to lose it makes you really want to win."

"You think I have more to lose, now than I did before?" He asked, attempting to perhaps seer the conversation in a different direction.

"Well I don't know much about this whole Genzyme thing, but I know whatever it is it's personal otherwise you would have told me more about it." She replied with a shrug. "Plus you don't have to do it alone; you've got me as a partner."

"I should warn you now I haven't had the best track record with my partners." Wesker replied. William Birkin flashed in his mind's eye for a moment. It had always been about the research for Will but Wesker had always wanted something more, he had wanted power. Yet every time he strove for greatness his world came tumbling down. After all the definition of instantly is doing the same thing and expecting different results, this time Albert Wesker wasn't in this mission for the power. He was in it for revenge, Alex Wesker was the last reminded of Spencer's Empire and he intended to crush it.

* * *

Ada decided to take a warm shower rather than just change out of her wet clothes. The steam felt very relaxing and while she wanted to give in to the sensation but she knew she had to be thinking about her meeting with Wesker. Obviously he too had a personal investment in Genzyme, but what else did he want? She couldn't let him have Alex's research whatever it was it couldn't be good.

She threw on a robe and headed to her room to grab a change of clothes as she thought of possibilities further. She wanted to destroy everything related to Alex, it was the only way she could ever hope to move on with her life. She hadn't really thought much about a life after her revenge, it never really seemed that important. However for the first time she could almost imagine a life after…but what scared her the most about it was it often involved Leon. Yes, when her defenses where down her idle mind conjured up scenarios in which the two of them could as clique as it sounds live happily ever after. It was a foolish dream however, and the way he had acted around Wesker proved it further. If he only knew about the things she had done, he wouldn't care about her the way he did.

She wasn't expecting to find Leon sitting on her bed, starting at the wall of information on Alex.

"I didn't realize once I let you in once it instituted an open door policy," She said with a smirk heading to her dresser to pick out some clothes.

"I don't like it, you working with Wesker." Leon said spitting out Weskers name with distain.

"I'm a big girl handsome, I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do." She icily replied.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just…Ada, he can't be trusted."

"Of course he can't. But he has access to resources we need."

"I still don't like it, after everything he's done it doesn't feel right"

Ada let out a sigh. "If that's the way you feel you probably should be working with me either. He's not the only one with blood on his hands."

"Ada, you're not like him. Wesker, he does what he does because he enjoys it. You're just…"

"What? Following order? Leon, I've done terrible things all because of my objective, a mission I created for myself. No one made me do it, I did whatever it took. I've betrayed people who've trusted me. The hate you feel for people like Wesker you should feel for me, I'm not any different."

Leon stood from the bed and walked towards her. Ada turned away slightly not wanting to look him in the eye. However, Leon gently placed a hand on her face and turned her towards him. "You are different, because you feel remorse, and when push comes to shove you do the right thing. Ada, you need to stop being so hard on yourself. Try to see yourself the way I see you."

She let out a bitter laugh, "What you see is a fantasy."

"No, what I see is the future." He replied with complete sincerity. "Stopping Alex, ending Genzyme it's one more nail in the coffin for Bioterrorism. It means you'll be free from the burden you've carried around, and maybe once all of this is over, you won't feel like you need to run anymore." He took his hand away from her face and took a step back. "Look I know it's crazy, I barely know anything about you, but after everything we've been through, I just, I can't get you out of my head, hell I might even love you."

Ada looked away again because she couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. She glanced up and say him begin to retreat, defeated. He hadn't left the room yet but he paused in the doorway for a moment. "Look, forget I said that, I don't want to get in the way of your mission more than I already have. I don't know, maybe when all this is over we can get a cup of coffee or something?"

The glimmer of a possible outcome of a successful life after her mission, hung in the air and if she didn't answer now she knew this window of opportunity might close forever. In the darkest corners of her mind where Ada rarely ventured she knew she had feelings for Leon and yet she could never truly bring herself to acknowledge them. "I don't think that's a good idea…" As she began to reply he was starting to turn away but the words she spoke next caused him to pause. "I hate coffee, it's too bitter for my taste. I usually drink tea, with a dash of milk and lots of honey."

A smile quickly formed on his face as he said with a laugh, "I'll be sure to remember that."

"I wouldn't expect any less." She said the corner of her mouth upturned in the ghost of a smile. He shut the door behind him leaving her alone with her thoughts. It was amazing how quickly his mood had changed, but she imagined that was what a little bit of hope could do to a person.

**Sorry it's not too long but it's been awhile. Drop a review if you feel like it. **


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